


Cold Chrome, Molten Lead

by SincerelySapphic



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Abuse, Anal Play, Angry Lesbians, Angst, BD Editor Judy, BD Performer Judy, BD performer V, BDSM, Bad BDSM Etiquette, Best girl Rita, Bottom!V, Canon-Typical Violence, Domestic Violence, Dubious Consent, F/F, Face-Sitting, Hurt/Comfort, Recreational Drug Use, Sexual Violence, Slow Burn, Smut, Spanking, Strap-Ons, Strip Tease, V and Judy are Hopeless Gays, top!judy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:08:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 68,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29470710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SincerelySapphic/pseuds/SincerelySapphic
Summary: “Two job offers in one day hermana, I guess Night City might learn our names after all!” Jackie grabbed the bottle and poured two shots with practiced ease, handing one to V. “To getting filthy stinkin’ rich with the best buddy in all NC, cheers chica!” Their glasses clinked and she knocked back the warm liquid, feeling the burn in her throat as it travelled downwards. A pleasant warmth accompanied it, piercing through the cloud of dreariness that had persistently hung over her day thus far. Perhaps this was the break they needed since the move.-.-AU: V is a rising star in the BD industry looking for her big break. She and Jackie move to Kabuki for a fresh start and through a series of events meet Judy and the girls at Lizzie’s bar, one of the most popular up-and-coming BD clubs in Night City. But tensions are high and dangers lurk just around the corner. V and Judy endgame.!TW! Domestic Violence, Sexual Violence, Dub-Con BDSM Relationship
Relationships: Judy Alvarez/Maiko Maeda, Judy Alvarez/V, Meredith Stout/V
Comments: 148
Kudos: 311
Collections: Lizzie's Bar





	1. The Performer, The Bouncer & The Corpo

**Author's Note:**

> We are Allium & Soup AKA SincerelySapphic, a humble lesbian couple with an unhealthy obsession for fanfiction and Cyberpunk. This is the first fic we have written together so please let us know how we do and enjoy the ride. Find us on Twitter @SincereSapphic and Tumblr @S1ncerelySapphic.

Rain splattered against the dull window, and with an absentminded click V closed the shutters. No need to see the dreary tones of Night City moving by below in yet another tireless day; people who had places to be and eddies to make while she was scraping the bottom of the barrel. The monochrome apartment was cast in shadow immediately, aside from the wane glow emanating from various pieces of tech strewn about the room. Despite only being occupied a few months, the space was clearly lived in; bottles lined the kitchen countertops and the trash was crowded with old takeout boxes. An emblazoned ashtray lay on the coffee table beside the russet red radio, the crackly sounds of Samurai thudding from the worn speakers and into the dimly lit room. Across the floor a doorway was ajar. V shook her head, a smirk briefly tugging up the corners of her lips. She had warned Jackie multiple times about leaving the door to his room unlocked… Things were bound to go missing. Especially his favourite jacket, which was flung carelessly across the corner of the low, blocklike bed, just waiting to be worn. He had managed to cajole V into taking the smaller room which boasted a slightly nicer view; the downtown stretch of Kabuki, as opposed to the concrete jungle of back alleys and dumpsters his side of the apartment overlooked. This left him with the biggest room in the apartment, even allowing for a standalone double bed rather than a cell-like cubicle built into the wall (“What? I’m the bigger person so I should get the biggest room! It’s simple math chica.”). The third bedroom door was firmly sealed, as it always was. And even if it weren’t, V wouldn’t dare take a step inside without its owner present.

Refocusing on the task at hand, V scrolled through the potential gigs she had managed to scrounge up from her walks around Kabuki the last few days. Wanting to avoid the typical merc work, all she was left with were mundane, tedious fetch tasks and some highly questionable BD work which seemed to lean more into the XBD market than she preferred. It had been a few years since the last time she had resorted to such work and it no longer had a place in the life she was beginning to create. Or at least, trying to. So far, the move to better things wasn’t so peachy, but as Jackie was constantly reminding her, she needed to give it time. Preem opportunities didn’t drop down from nowhere, after all.

Another gig was discarded from her inbox with a disgusted huff. _Seriously? A malfunctioning_ **what** _implant?_ This was really what it had come to. The last year had felt like it was escalating, building to a crescendo in her career after she had painstakingly built her reputation up as a BD performer for years. It had meant that she had finally saved up enough eddies to move and leave Japantown and, with Jackie in tow, ingrain her roots down somewhere new and filled with opportunity.

It had been a slow start, but there was no need to stress yet. Good things were coming, they just had to wait. And in the meantime, they had a fresh apartment, a new roommate and endless gig prospects just waiting. As Jackie would say, _algo es algo_. It’s better than nothing.

“Woman of the hour! You will not believe who I just got off the holo with – man I’ve worked up an appetite with all that sweet talking.” The apartment suddenly exploded with sound as Jackie entered, his massive frame dwarfed only by the gregarious personality oozing from his crooked smile as his eyes landed on his best friend. Everything about him brimmed with energy and _life,_ from his street swagger to the slight shake of his geometric hair as he flopped down on the corner of the sofa beside her.

“You gonna tell me or should I try and guess?” V asked dryly as she clicked off her holo and focused on her friend instead, the cybernetic glow fading from her slate blue eyes.

“Dexter motherfucking Deshawn! He’s gotta have piles of gigs ready and just waiting for a nova pair like us. A _real_ fixer hermana!” Excitement glittered in Jackie’s eyes as he leant forward, cracking open a Broseph for himself before sourcing a second for her.

“I’m not sure Deshawn has the type of work we’re after, Jack. I’m not looking to get flatlined y’know.” The foaming liquid bubbled down her throat, cooling the slight frustration already rising in her. Jackie had always been so keen to succeed, to make it in the major leagues of Night City, that sometimes he didn’t think things through. They had done the dirty work already, had moved to Kabuki to escape from that past and lay a foundation they could build their own legacy from rather than becoming a footnote in someone else’s crazy scheme.

“We’re chilled chica, no need to be putting your foot on the gas yet. We’re good for now, but the eddies will drop out soon and then what? Gotta take the risks to reap the rewards.” The debate echoed the many they had had over the years, reflecting the occasional clash in their personalities; hot-headed versus cool and calculating. Rush jobs versus carefully scoped out plans.

“Alright alright – What’s Deshawn got for us then?” She forced herself to calm and hear him out at least.

“Well… Nothing yet. But at least he knows our names now, we’re on his radar and –“

“Seriously? So it’s nothing? If he has so many gigs available then why –“

They were interrupted by the sharp trill of V’s holo which cut her off before she got herself fully worked up and on a roll with the scathing rant that was forming in her mind. With a last warning glare in Jackie’s direction (ignoring his muttered “saved by the bell”), V answered the holo, watching as a picture flickered into shape on the left of her peripherals.

“Is this V?” A serious looking woman came into shape, her cybernetic face giving away no hints to the purpose of her call.

“Speaking. Who is this?”

“My name is Susanna Quinn, I run Lizzie’s bar in Kabuki. Hear you’re in search of a gig. Your name’s been all the buzz lately in the BD biz, figured we should chat and see if anything can be arranged; we’re always looking for new performers.” Her tone brokered no nonsense, it was crisp and straight to the point. V could respect that; this was a woman who clearly got things done.

“Yeah I have some experience in the industry. I worked hard to get to where I am now, but I’m always looking for the next step up. Recently moved to Kabuki and I’ve swung by Lizzie’s a few times, heard good things about it from past biz too. Really respect what you do with the Mox.” V offered diplomatically. She had perfected the balance of talking herself up and complimenting a potential employer within a few lines. Self-employed work was 90% people pleasing and building your reputation after all, and god knows she had worked hard enough at the latter over the last few years.

The woman’s expression was unchanging, though V caught a glimpse of amusement flashing through her chrome eyes before her attention returned to the business at hand. Susie Q could recognise a sweet talker when she heard one but appreciated it nonetheless; it wasn’t everyone who could make a name for themselves from nothing in this ruthless city which played the role of a parasite taking control of your life before you even felt its effects. It chewed people up and spat them out carelessly without a second glance; someone who had avoided that was worth enquiring into. “We have a performer position available for you. Why don’t you come by the bar later tonight and check it out? We can meet, I’ll talk you through more details there and you can get a real lay of the place. It’s nothing special, but we take care of our own. We are a business after all. Happy employees equal happy customers in our line of work.”

There it was. A real, tangible offer on the table. V made eye contact with Jackie across the coffee table; he was already nodding his head encouragingly. They could bicker like any siblings, but they always had each other’s backs. His warm eyes filled her with a surge of gratefulness, her earlier frustration with the man a thing of the past.

“I’ll stop by later then, I’d like to hear more deets about the gig. Say around 7?” Getting a hum of acceptance from her potential future employer, V decided to push a little further. No risk, no reward. “Any chance you’ve got any bouncer positions going? I know a guy. Real beefy and a deadshot when needed. No one would get past him if they weren’t welcome.”

Ignoring the sarcastic “thanks chica” Jackie mouthed to her, she kept her eyes on the woman as her words were met with silence while Susie mulled over her proposal. V tried to read her expression and suss out whether she had been too forward, however, it was hopeless; the facial implants made it impossible to tell what the formidable owner of Lizzie’s was thinking.

“Alright, bring him by with you later. Be warned though, our girls don’t take kindly to most men.” The receiver clicked off then without a word of goodbye, the conversation cutting short. _She’s nothing if not efficient_ , V thought to herself blinking as the picture disappeared from the corner of her eye.

“Two job offers in one day hermana, I guess Night City might learn our names after all! Susie Q holds weight in this city too y’know, she’s the head of the Mox; those putas are feisty.” Jackie grinned, brimming with enthusiasm.

V rolled her eyes and took another swig of her beer. “Those _putas_ don’t take shit from anybody Jack, especially dudes, so you’d better start brushing up on your chivalry or you’ll end up staring down the barrel of some chick’s shotgun. I said we’d be there for 7 so make sure your ass is looking respectable alright? Let’s make a toast to our new-found popularity, got any Centzon left?” she turned to eye the sparse drinks cabinet in the kitchen, squinting to find her tequila of choice.

Jackie grabbed the bottle and poured two shots with practiced ease, handing one to V. “To getting filthy stinkin’ rich with the best buddy in all NC, cheers chica!” Their glasses clinked and she knocked back the warm liquid, feeling the burn in her throat as it travelled downwards. A pleasant warmth accompanied it, piercing through the cloud of dreariness that had persistently hung over her day thus far. Perhaps this was the break they needed since the move. Their celebrations were short-lived as the tell-tale sound of their apartment door plucked them both back to reality.

V wasn’t sure if it was the tequila that caused a flood of warmth to ripple through her body as her eyes cast on the woman in the doorway. She was a fair bit taller than V and wore her blonde hair swept back in true corpo fashion, cutting an intimidating silhouette. Her eyes were cold and unforgiving, her jaw rigid and square, her corpo attire all harsh angles and deadly edges. Jackie’s demeanour changed as soon as she dropped her briefcase, alerting him to her presence. “Well if it isn’t the ice bitch herself, thought I’d had it too good for too long without her mug ‘round the place.” Jackie grumbled.

Meredith Stout had been looking for somewhere to live closer to the city centre and business district. Maybe it wasn’t ideal for a corpo climber, it was a distance from the sleek skyscrapers and brutal, fortress-like skyline of unrivalled power, but it was a starting point on her purposeful and relentless pursuit of success in the merciless world of the Night City elite. She had taken the third room in the Kabuki apartment without much discussion not long after it had been advertised, having sensed _something_ in the two street kids before her which simply reeked of opportunity.

“Fuck off Jackie, why don’t you go see your gonk hippie output for a little while like a good boy. I’m sure she’s reading your tarot as we speak. Probably something like ‘ _I see my pussy-ass boyfriend getting his ass kicked by a bunch of Tyger Claws, that must mean he likes taking it up the ass.’_ ” Meredith smirked as Jackie blushed and tightened his fists, the carefree joy usually associated with him overcome by thinly veiled disgust.

“Don’t know what you see in that coño. I’ll see you at Lizzie’s V, 7pm sharp.” He grabbed his motorcycle key and made his exit, glowering at Meredith the whole way out of the apartment.

Now alone, V reclined back on the couch and tilted her neck back further, angling her face upwards, her cheek lightly flushed as Meredith crossed the room to stand behind her. Her eyes wandered over the taut expression of her third roommate, the cold eyes never seeming quite so harsh when they were alone. Finally her gaze arrived on her lips, curled up into a smirk like a scythe and V licked her own automatically in response. Her expectations were dashed a moment later when Meredith dragged her nails across V’s neck in a burning path, trailing up to stroke the side of her face.

“I missed you today.” V whispered, goosebumps rippling down her body from the contact on her neck and a warm flush coming over her. Meredith smiled, removing her hands from V to grab herself a shot of tequila, before padding lithely over to her closed door, opening it with a flick of her wrist and disappearing within. The expectation was clear, and V poured herself another shot before trailing after Meredith into her darkened room.

She closed the door behind her and watched Meredith as she removed her blazer settling down on the edge of the bed. Slowly making her way across the room to sit beside her, V scratched the back of her neck nervously.

“So… bad day?” She tried to keep things light and casual, but things were never mundane when it came to dealing with Meredith.

“That’s a bit of an understatement, been busting balls all day just trying to get the boss to notice me. And that bitch from Net Ops keeps trying to screw me over, stupid cunt. Might have to call a fixer to make sure she’s out of the picture for good next time she tries to fuck with me.” Meredith took a cigarette from the packet in her blazer and placed it between her lips, raising an eyebrow at V expectantly. V took the lighter off her bedside table and lit her cig, not breaking eye contact as she did. The move was muscle memory by now, she didn’t need to focus on what she was doing. “Thanks _choom_.” Meredith said sardonically. V laughed awkwardly at the comment, feeling an uncomfortable clench in the pit of her stomach; they certainly weren’t just _chooms_ in her eyes.

“Well me and Jack had some good news today, got two job offers one from Dex Deshawn and one from Susie Q. Think we could be onto something real special here, maybe people in NC will finally realise how-“

“Dex Deshawn? Susie Q? Please V, don’t make me laugh. Small time gang bangers aren’t going to get you anywhere in this city except blown apart by MaxTac.” Meredith laughed, taking a long drag on her cigarette as she watched V’s optimistic expression fall as her body folded in on itself.

V felt a flush of humiliation crawl up the back of her neck and claw into her throat as old insecurities flooded back. And yet… Wasn’t it Meredith who had praised her last month for completing her last BD so well that she’d earned a substantial bonus? Or the week before when she scored tickets to an exclusive bar opening and enabled Meredith to network all night? She shook the doubt away and winced as acrid smoke was blown directly into her face.

“It ain’t like that Meredith, not looking to get flatlined here.” She weakly echoed her words to Jackie earlier. “The job for Deshawn could be real eddies with some risk, but the work for Susie Q could be a real opportunity for me. You know my experience in BD work, it could really help boost my –“

The cigarette had been stubbed out carelessly on an opaque black ashtray beside Meredith’s bed, and her hand had occupied itself with the new task of slowly tracing up the inside of V’s thigh, talons hooked in and awakening nerve endings throughout her lower body. Her breath hitched, the last of her flimsy defence dying on her lips in place of a breathy sigh at the sudden change in Meredith’s demeanour. The next moment, cold lips began to inch along her exposed shoulder, burning a path up towards the hollow of her throat. V’s chrome fingers laced in fine blonde hair, gripping lightly as her head fell to the side and her eyes fluttered closed, dark lashes trembling against flushed cheeks. Meredith licked a path up to V’s earlobe, finding it pierced by silver studs which were tugged between teasing teeth as V felt hot breath flush across her neck. Strong fingers gripped her chin in an iron hold, an unspoken command making her tilt her head closer until teeth sunk down roughly into her lower lip, dragging a ragged moan from V’s lips before she knew what was happening, Meredith’s fingers inching higher and higher up her thigh.

Without warning, Meredith retracted her hands from her body with a light smirk on her lips. “It’s absolutely adorable how worked up you get at the slightest touch. Shame I have to leave soon, got myself a hot date lined up. Don’t wait for me, I won’t be home tonight.” She stood and made her way to the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Frozen on the bed for what felt like an eternity, V stood on shaky legs a few moments later and made her way to her own room, recognising a Meredith dismissal when she saw one. Had been on the receiving end multiple times in the last few months in fact. The phrase _hot date_ echoed around her skull as she fell onto her own bed, the door to her bedroom sealed shut behind her finally creating a sense of safety.

 _Who was she seeing? Why mention it?_ Logically, V knew that Meredith thrived on the power trip that came with exploiting the weaknesses of others; she was a corpo, even if she hadn’t quite made it yet. V had no doubt that she eventually would, given her affinity with manipulation. Nevertheless, V felt that they were on the brink of starting of something new. Whenever Meredith was near she felt constantly on edge, a current thrumming under her skin demanding she get closer, get _more_ from her. She never got it. The harder Meredith pushed, the harder she pulled at the same time, drawing V helplessly into her orbit again and again in a way that made it exceedingly hard for her to process let alone forget.

An unknown amount of time passed while V obsessed over Meredith’s words, wondering who she would be seeing that night, where she would end up. She was thrown from her spiralling thoughts by the sound of the front door thudding shut, leaving her alone yet again in the apartment. It was great when someone was there to fill it with life, but when alone V felt aimless in the empty space. She curled up on her bed, clutching a pillow close to her chest, her eyes growing weary from the lack of sleep catching up to her. She should probably try to get some rest before her big meeting at Lizzie’s, so she allowed herself to relax and drift off.

The sound of her holo roused her from her slumber. _What time is it? How long have I been out for?_ She answered and Jackie’s face appearing in her vision. “Hola chica, I was gonna grab a drink before our meeting, wondering if you wanted to join me?”.

V checked the clock, 6:30pm. _Shit, I’m gonna be late._

“Um, not right now Jack, I’m just uhh-“

“Not ready are ya?” Jackie laughed. “And you told me to be punctual! Move your ass chica, we can’t mess up this gig, could be our ticket out of obscurity. See ya soon.” His still-laughing face clicked off and V was left in darkness again as she blearily reached for the light and flicked it on.

A quick shower later, or more like a brief lean on the shower wall, she stood in front of her measly wardrobe trying to decide which outfit was the most suitable for a gig like this. On one hand it was basically a job interview, so dress to impress and all that. Yet she was aiming for a BD position so the outfit needed to highlight what a lucrative performer she could be. Finally, she selected a pair of tight black slacks which hugged her legs and accentuated their curve, clinging to her taut stomach where a flash of tattoos were hinted at before being obscured by a brightly coloured bralette. Over the top of the bralette, tracing her collarbones and upper chest lay detailed imprints of an Aztec tattoo carved into her skin, proudly on display. Finally, a leather blazer jacket was added to the ensemble and, after she slipped on some black pumps, V deemed herself as ready as she was going to get. After a last glance in the mirror (and maybe a minute spent pulling faces to psych herself up), the apartment door clicked shut behind her as she made her way to the creaky lift and down onto the bustling streets of Kabuki.

She pulled up outside Lizzie’s bar in no time on her Kusanagi motorcycle, the blur of the city lights finally stabilising in a well-lit parking lot. V spotted Jackie spending time with his child; the red Arch was famously associated with him back home and had followed with them to their new apartment. The doors were flanked by a pair of gorgeous but intimidating women, clearly armed to the teeth and swinging baseball bats around as if daring someone to even try and look their way. Approaching Jackie and subtly checking out the two women, V glanced at her watch before swearing under her breath: 7:05pm. This was not a good look.

“Well, well look what the cat dragged in. It’s not like you to be late V, what gives? Meredith keep you busy all afternoon hm?” He raised an eyebrow suggestively and she elbowed him in the chest.

“Shut up, we don’t have time to waste!” She gestured for him to follow her and they approached the two Mox bouncers with a pleasing smile on her face.

“Good evening ladies, I’m V and this is Jackie Welles, we have an appointment to see Miss Susanna Quinn?” V tried her best to sound professional but was deflated as the Mox burst into laughter simultaneously.

“Susanna Quinn? Ain’t nobody calling her that through these doors, so you better get it straight before she busts your ass. It’s Susie Q, you hear?” The Mox with purple hair in two buns leaned back on one leg, holding the baseball bat casually on her shoulders. She sized V and Jackie up slowly, her expression clearly reading unimpressed as she let out a scoff. “And you’re late. Suze doesn’t like time wasters. What makes you think I’m gonna let either of you in there?”

V grimaced but tried to put on her best charming smile. “I think you know good talent when you see it, being a woman of many talents yourself. You can’t deny the money me and the big man could bring into this club. So please let us in, I swear I won’t be late again.”

The Mox turned to her companion and they both shared a look V couldn’t read. “Alright big shot, just this once. I’d be madder if Susie hadn’t already told us about you.”

“All good things I hope?” Jackie chimed in, giving a toothy smile sweet as anything, to which the purple haired Mox narrowed her eyes.

“Don’t push it. We don’t like your kind round here. Always looking for trouble, always something to prove. Now go, before I change my mind.” She gestured for them to enter the bar with a scornful wave of her bat.

“Thank you.” V didn’t want to push her luck but the flirt in her couldn’t resist. “I didn’t quite catch your name.”

“Rita. Rita Wheeler. Don’t try anything funny, my standards are way too high for you, sweetcheeks.” She pointed her bat at V’s chest with a light tap, before stepping back.

V laughed, “I thought as much. Thanks Rita, see you soon.”

Jackie and V stepped inside the dark club in search of their new contact. Just before she turned to enter the bar, V saw a brief glimmer of amusement in Rita’s eyes as her mouth curled up into a smile, waving them in with a mocking bow.

It was time to find the boss.


	2. Punchin' Judy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> !TW! Scenes of emotional and physical abuse. Look out for the part sectioned off with **** if you want to miss that part out.  
> Time to meet everyone's favourite smol techie! Judy's having a rough time right now but things will get better, we promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !TW! Domestic Violence

“Where are you going, Judy?” Narrowed eyes looked up from a holopad, following her awkward shuffling across the room in search of clothes to make herself presentable, fingers simultaneously running through bed-ruffled hair.

“I’m gonna be late for work if I stay in bed with you any longer, Maiko. If there’s one thing Susie Q hates more than the Tyger Claws, it’s late staff.” Judy retorted, eyes averted while facing away from Maiko as she hastily clipped on her bra and tugged a vest on over her head, curling the bottom into a knot and fashioning the fabric into a crop top. She was hyperaware of her bareness in that moment, doing her damned best to avoid showing her output the left side of her body, already anticipating the headache she would receive if her new ink was noticed.

“Susie Q can go fuck herself. If I want you to stay here with me, then you will damn well sit and stay.” Maiko growled with annoyance, making Judy grimace as she tugged some boyshorts up her legs. “Besides, I make enough money for the both of us now. Your wage is chump change at that shithole of a place. Stay, Judy. I haven’t seen you for more than a few hours at a time in over a week.”

Judy felt a lump form in her throat and her fists tightened, fire behind her eyes. It wasn’t exactly her actions which had resulted in the minimal time they’d spent in their apartment recently. Instead, they were left with falling into bed together at the end of long, exhausting days, all harsh touches and few words exchanged in the dead of night. “I don’t question your decisions as a doll you shouldn’t question mine as an artist!” She located her overalls and slipped them on quickly, ignoring Maiko’s derisive snort at the word ‘artist’, feeling more uncomfortable with her stare by the second. It was then that she realised her output’s gaze had come to rest on her exposed, left arm and rage was rapidly clouding her already thunderous expression. Judy felt herself instinctively begin to recoil.

********

“What the fuck is that?” She shot up from the bed and grabbed Judy’s wrist, twisting it to show her the fresh tattoos and box Judy in the corner where she remained in a vulnerable semi-state of undress.

Maiko’s furious gaze raked up Judy’s newly inked skin, scrutinising eyes zeroing in on the dark text emblazoned across her delicate forearm and the matching ‘13’ denoting the legendary foundation of the Mox. Instead of the pride and sense of belonging Judy usually felt when her eyes landed on her freshly marked skin, she felt a very unwelcome flush of mortification and regret. In the few months she had been working at Lizzie’s, she felt like she had finally, maybe, found a family. Her life was uprooted and ripped away from her once as a child and again a second time as a teenager, she had been searching ever since. Again and again trying to create a life with people, and again and again watching it crumble down before her. The Mox were different, this was her chance at everything she had been searching for. The grip around her wrist tightened and became a steel-like trap, ripping her from her reminiscing as Maiko’s gaze continued upwards, lips curling back with disgust as her eyes took in yet another symbol of the Mox: the skeletal, immortalised face of Elizabeth “Lizzie” Borden. Judy’s neck was forcefully tilted to the side, her pulse began to race and palms to sweat as her heartbeat was amplified to a thudding beat inside her head. She almost felt Maiko’s fingers viciously press into the ‘M’ symbol on her neck before it came, a brief flash of pain hitching her breath forcefully.

“You let them brand you with this filth? It’s bad enough you joined a gang in the first place but now you wanna let the world know with this shitty ink?” Maiko sneered mockingly.

“Let go, you’re hurting me!” Judy squirmed and managed to break free from her tight grip, rubbing her wrist and shrinking back further against the wall behind her. That was sure to leave another mark.

“You. Are. Mine. You knew I wouldn’t be okay with this and you still did it. Don’t you… Don’t you love me?” The words started off as aggressive as expected, but suddenly Maiko’s tone changed; dropping and softening to an almost whisper. She almost sounded hurt.

“Of course I do! The tatts and the Mox were my decision and they’re doing some great things in NC, I thought you of all people would be excited by the work they’re doing with the dolls.” Judy tried to turn the conversation onto her output, her usual defence mechanism which never seemed to work.

“Don’t kid yourself, you’re just Evelyn’s lap dog. You would never have joined the Mox if it weren’t for her. And now you’ve found some pathetic joytoys who can stroke your hero complex and make you think you’re doing something _good._ Things have been better off without you getting in my damn way at Clouds. I’m Woodman’s top earner right now so I got all the security I need. All of Evelyn’s wealthy clients are now at my disposal. You should be fucking thankful for it, where would you be without me right now?”

“If things are so much better off then why are you complaining about the Mox, huh? Cause I wanted to do something good in this world without you holding me down? Where would you be without me – have you forgotten who tweaked your doll chip to get you the recognition you wanted from Woodman?” She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth, bracing for another blow or verbal teardown that was surely coming.

“Holding _you_ down? You’ve been holding me back for years Judy, I’m only just beginning to reach my full potential without you. You think you’re gonna be something in the editing biz, but I could have used anyone to edit my chip. You were just the convenient option. But none of that matters anyway ‘cause at the end of the day, I’m all you have. This relationship, this apartment, this bed, those clothes. Everything you have is because of me and don’t you dare forget it.” Each word ripped away another layer of her flimsy defence. Each word targeted a particular insecurity. Each word hollowed her out more and more until the ache in her chest faded to numbness and became nothing at all.

“Fuck you, Maiko. See if I come home later.” Judy grabbed her work bag and made for the door when Maiko grabbed her tender wrist yet again and forced her to turn and face her once more.

“You’d better come home on time or you won’t have a home to come back to.” She warned before carelessly pushing Judy out the door and slammed it loudly in her face. Always needed to get the last word.

********

Judy arrived at Lizzie’s Bar, the scowl never quite leaving her face. She clutched the pink Mox jacket tightly around her delicate frame, more grateful than ever that she was slightly dwarfed by the protective layer which extended past her wrists just enough. Her face softened slightly as she spotted her friend and favourite bouncer, Rita, working the door, prowling it like a neon purple (but still deadly) guard dog bot(?).

“Alvarez! How are the new tatts treating you girl, feeling like part of the gang? Gonna have a hard time keeping the ladies away with those.” Rita waggled her eyebrows at Judy as she approached, a teasing smirk brightening her usually deadpan expression. Judy smiled for the first time that day.

“Such a charmer Wheeler, is that why you’re still single?” Judy quipped back, subconsciously cradling her bruised wrist. This, she could do. No matter the situation, banter with the girls at Lizzie’s came naturally.

“Nah, just no one has met my expectations yet. High standards and all.” Rita brushed some imaginary dust from her shoulders.

Judy laughed. “Not what I’ve been hearing from the customers…”

Rita nudged Judy’s ass inside with her bat. “Those customers are full of shit and you know it! Have a good shift, oh and come and find me later. Got a little something for you.”

“Colour me intrigued!” Judy called over her shoulder as she stepped inside the dark club and made a beeline for the bar. Almost immediately the pulsing bass of the music thrummed through her, the remaining stress and aggravation calming a little under the cover of darkness and strobe lights. Lizzie’s bar always hummed with life, the sounds of people chatting and the music blending together into a white noise which sometimes made it hard to think; today, she was grateful for the small mercy. She let the chaotic energy of bodies brushing past each other flood her senses and allow her to centre herself. However, if she was expected to work her shift soon, it wasn’t enough. Mateo took her order: three shots of tequila were knocked back swiftly and in quick succession. She was about to order a fourth when she heard a voice behind her.

“Hey Jude.” A sultry, slightly raspy voice sounded behind her, the cadence of her tone doing wonders to calm Judy further.

Her best friend sashayed over. The first thing most people noticed about Evelyn Parker was her vivid, electric blue hair or the tempting figure teasingly obscured by a large, draping coat with an excessively furry collar. Even without these accessories though, attention seemed to follow her wherever she went, like an invisible spotlight. Judy had been just as captivated as anyone by her mystery at the beginning of their acquaintance, until she dug further and caught a glimpse of the sardonic, witty girl which hid behind the bravado. She had even thought herself infatuated with the woman for a little while, before recognising that it was simply friendship resonating between two kindred souls. Evelyn was one of the few people Judy truly knew was in her corner at all times.

“Evie, hey. How’s it going?” Judy took a moment to observe her friend’s tense body language. Evelyn looked annoyed about something; her eyebrows were bunched together and her jaw clenched as she waved at Mateo for a drink wordlessly, gulping it down before her irritated gaze landed on her friend.

“Haven’t you heard the news?”

_What news?_ Judy definitely hadn’t heard any news. “Susie Q has called in a new BD performer for an ‘interview’ tonight. You may have heard of her, possibly even scrolled a few of her virtus already. It’s that Japantown girl, calls herself _V_. The audacity, the gall, the gumption!”

Judy barely had to think about the name before recognition dawned in her expression. Judy currently performed at Lizzie’s alongside Evelyn; eddies were eddies at the end of the day and despite Maiko’s words, she liked to at least feel like she was contributing enough to cover her own cost of living. However, every spare second of her time at work found her in the basement scrolling BDs with the resident editor, T-Bug. She even had her own corner now _and_ her own, hand-crafted equipment waiting for her. (Okay, so it was a discarded cabinet, but the space was still hers.) T-Bug had gifted her with her very first BD wreath, which she had already used to scroll dozens of virtus, even recently going as far as getting a proper BD implant installed on her left temple to enhance her editing capabilities further. With so many hours spent scrolling, Judy could recognise new talent when she saw it dance in front of her. Most actors in the BD scene were making a pitstop on their way to something more; real acting or simply more eddies. So it was palpable in most BDs, now commercialised into false scenes completely devoid of any emotion that could immerse the viewer, though admittedly Judy was a tougher critic than most. The physical sensations were there, which would be enough for most BD dabblers looking for their fix of an alternate reality, but the thoughts and emotions of the actors usually wandered far beyond the focus of the scene – it was why BD editors were in such demand these days, all the irrelevant junk from actors needed to be scrubbed away before a chip was ready for commercial use. V stood out like a fresh glass of water straight from its natural source amongst synthetic imitations; her scenes were _alive_ , and often left Judy with a sensual energy thrumming under her skin long after she had finished scrolling. She had imagined getting the opportunity to edit a braindance from V before, had daydreamed about what an exciting and unfettered experience it could be. Maybe it had something to do with that heady mix of confidence and raw emotion perceivable during each performance, the glint of chrome fingers gliding along exposed, tanned skin, teeth biting into luscious lips curved up into a delicious smirk –

“– So what, are we like, not good enough for Suze anymore? Why’s she getting this new talent in all of a sudden?” Judy abruptly returned to the present, a flush creeping up her neck as she realised she had completely clocked out thinking about a total stranger. She only hoped her choom wouldn’t notice her embarrassment. Quickly forming a matching grimace to Evelyn’s infuriated expression, Judy nodded as if she had been listening all along and had heard every word.

“Fuckin’ Susie. I could do a better job of running this place than her.” She chipped in quickly, making an effort to re-engage with the conversation.

Evelyn laughed. “Yeah right, you’ve barely got your tattoos and you’re already planning on overthrowing the system. Jude, you’re what they call an idealist, you want everything to be all sunshine and rainbows but in our reality, the best you can get is a cup of cold sick.” Judy rolled her eyes as she shuddered at the visceral imagery Evelyn’s words created.

“Smart girl Evie, you should take notes. What’s the problem, Judy? Think you could do better than me at running this joint when you got no idea about any of the work I put into keeping the Mox in biz? I dedicated my life to this gang and you’re turning up, gettin’ inked and claimin’ you’re the next Lizzie Borden? Gimme one good reason why I shouldn’t kick your ass out that door right now for your gonk attitude.” Susie Q appeared suddenly over Judy’s shoulder, apparently materialising out of thin air and had clearly overheard enough of Judy’s casual anarchism based on the grim fury visible on her normally emotionless face.

Judy’s embarrassed expression changed to one of rage as she stood up from the bar. “Oh yeah ‘cause you’re such a big shot, hidin’ in your office watching cams, turnin’ a blind eye to any customers who try to get handsy with our girls. Hell, I’m sorry if I just wanted to help ‘em and make sure they don’t end up in a damn snuff XBD. But hey, maybe that’d get us some extra cash right? So it’s all good.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened as she looked between her much shorter, enraged friend and their significantly taller, more intimidating boss. “Susie, what Judy means is that she’s sorry and is very grateful to now be part of your wonderful establishment. She meant no disrespect, she just has… difficulty with authority.” Evelyn put on her most convincing smile, eyes still flickering between the two as if waiting for the next volley to start. “Prison will do that to any girl.”

Susie’s expression was hard, defensive. “If you think I’d sit by knowing our girls were being harassed then you sure as hell don’t know me _or_ the Mox. Strike two Alvarez, one more and I’ll be sending you down to Fingers’ clinic for laser removal of those tats. Best behave yourselves this evening and if you see our new recruit, don’t be poppin’ off, clear? Keep your new pet under control, Parker.”

“Yes ma’am.” Evelyn’s fake smile did not go unnoticed but regardless, Susie had more pressing matters to attend to. Without another word, she spun and stomped away back to her office. Judy seethed beside Evelyn.

“What the fuck was that? Are you crazy?”

Judy’s anger melted away in the face of the disappointment and concern in her friend’s eyes. She really needed to learn to pick her battles more carefully. If only she could stand up to Maiko the way she stood up to Susie – at least she would deserve it.

“Fuck Ev, I really didn’t mean for that to happen it just… yeah.” She ran a hand through dyed hair nervously. Evelyn’s gaze softened, changing from one of shock to understanding, and Judy noticed her eyes had fallen to her exposed wrist. _Fuck._

As Evelyn extended her hand to Judy with knowing eyes, she knew the façade was over and reluctantly placed her wrist into Evelyn’s soft palms, watching quietly as she carefully assessed the damage.

“Does it hurt?”

Judy winced. “Only when there’s pressure on it. S’fine.”

Evelyn scowled and released her friend’s arm. “I’m gonna kill that bitch. Who the fuck does she think she is? You need to get out of there Jude, I’m so worried about you. How do I know one day she won’t push you too far then you’re divin’ head-first from an 82-story megabuilding?”

“She wouldn’t do that. We love each other. She’s just… stressed right now.”

Evelyn scoffed. “Yeah well, I’m stressed too, do you see me going round tryin’ to break my output’s wrist? Y’know you could always stay with me, my couch is reserved for you.”

The offer had been made many times over the past year when Judy’s relationship with Maiko began to unravel into a toxic situation. It was the only thing the two friends had ever argued over, though they had since promised each other that they wouldn’t let it get to that point again, and instead agreed to disagree.

“No offence Ev but your place is way too small for the both of us and I don’t wanna be no couch surfin’ bum. We’ll work things out, you’ll see. Now c’mon let’s get another drink.” Judy beckoned Mateo, who had sensibly chosen the last five minutes to take his break, recognising a signature Alvarez outburst coming.

Evelyn and Judy sat at the bar for a little while longer and shifted their conversation to lighter topics, catching up about their respective days and gossiping about clients. Judy kept a watchful eye after the incident with Susie, she didn’t want to be snuck up on again. She definitely wasn’t looking for a certain BD performer that had occupied her thoughts for the last couple of hours, providing a pleasant distraction. She sipped at her drink, leaning back casually against the bar next to Evelyn. She felt a delicate hand grip her right bicep.

“Jude, look, there she is.” Evelyn gestured with her eyes over to the direction of V who was just entering the packed club area accompanied by a large Hispanic man. _Bodyguard? Brother? Friend? Input_? Judy considered all of the possibilities subconsciously but was brought out of her thoughts as they were both fast approaching the bar. Her eyes couldn’t help but wander over V’s toned form, leather suit basically painted on and shiny bralette leaving little to the imagination. Judy wasn’t the only one looking, however. The eyes of many patrons followed V as she made her way across the room, seemingly oblivious to the attention now on her. Beside her, Judy heard Evelyn scoff.

“We did it chica! Landed ourselves a nice cushy job, regular income, job security, and a tonne of beautiful women.” The man lowered his voice towards the end of his sentence and Judy and Evelyn both scowled at him.

V’s head was thrown back as she laughed at her friend’s expense and the glares he was receiving. It was the most beautiful sound Judy had ever heard. Her eyes slowly followed the tendons of V’s exposed neck and chest. The sharp pops of colour provided by her tattoos were the first thing to catch her attention on the angular collarbones framing upper torso. And yet, it was the unmarked and unblemished skin of her neck which was the most enticing. Judy took a large swig of her drink to cool herself even as her gaze roved over the bare hollow of the newcomer’s throat. Maiko’s enraged expression flashed into her mind like a bucket of ice-cold water, effectively putting her ogling to a stop before it was noticed by those around her.

“You should only have eyes for one woman Jackie, and her name is Misty. Keep it in your pants yeah? We’re professionals so we gotta start acting like it.” V was chiding her companion as they slipped onto the bar stools beside Judy and Evelyn, offering the two women a charming smile.

The man, Jackie, had now noticed the stares he was receiving and scratched the back of his neck guiltily.

“You’re right V, and what better way to start than getting to know our new colleagues with a drink. Hey, bartender, I need five drinks. Shot of vodka on the rocks, lime juice, ginger beer... oh, and most importantly – a splash of love.” He winked at Evelyn and Judy at the last line. They remained unimpressed. “One for me and my choom, one for these lovely ladies _and_ one for yourself of course.” Mateo nodded and shared a brief look of amusement with Evelyn and Judy, lining up five glasses and making a start on constructing the drinks per Jackie’s directions.

V grimaced, smacking Jackie’s upper arm in exasperation. “Sorry about him, he just gets nervous around attractive women. I’m V, this is Jackie Welles. It’s nice to meet you both. What can I call you?” _Did V just call her attractive?_

V grinned and extended a hand to Evelyn, which she observed and ignored.

“Evelyn Parker. Hear you’re quite the talented performer. Of course, I’d have to see it to believe it but your reputation does precede you.” Evelyn barely spared the woman a glance, knocking back the rest of her drink. Judy hid an amused smile with her glass; no one would guess that V had been the focus of Evelyn’s attention most of the night based on the standoffish attitude now on display.

“I could say the same to you Ms. Parker, your name is all over the screamsheets.” V took the barbed comment in stride, the charismatic smile never leaving her face.

V turned her attention to Judy, who had been silent during the whole exchange so far. _Fuck. Even her smirk had a smirk._ It shouldn’t have been nearly as attractive as it was.

“Judy Alvarez. BD performer and technician, apparently no longer the Mox’s newest member.” She raised a brow at V and swore she saw a blush creep across the woman’s face.

“Actually we aren’t officially joining the Moxes. Worked out a little agreement with the boss lady that I think suits all of our needs.” V explained sheepishly, chrome-tinted fingers running through her wine-red hair.

“Hmph. Never thought Susie would hire someone who wasn’t an official Mox. Guess you must be somethin’ special after all.” Judy crossed her arms as she eyed the new recruits, annoyance niggling at her subconscious from Susie’s unexpected decision; change was taking place at Lizzie’s a lot recently, and not all of it good.

Jackie had impeccable timing as he returned to hand everyone a drink. “Let’s make a toast! To a new job and new friends!” Jackie raised his glass before knocking it back. Evelyn did the same. V offered her glass to clink with Judy’s which she did almost instinctively, earning herself a disgruntled look from Evelyn. She shrugged at her friend helplessly. Susie had asked them to make a good impression, at least she wasn’t ‘poppin’ off’; she was just doing what her boss had asked. She downed the drink in one, deciding that it would be her last of night since she wasn’t even halfway through her night yet. _Hm. Not bad at all, Welles._

“Anyway, lovely as this whole ordeal has been, my clients have arrived so I will see you all later.” Evelyn stressed the plural in _clients,_ her eyes briefly meeting V’s in challenge before grabbing her purse and sauntering over to the door of the club where she greeted three imposing men.

Jackie occupied himself in a conversation about mixology with Mateo, his easy charm quickly winning over the stoic bartender. Judy watched as V rolled her eyes at her friend as he tried to convince Mateo to add his signature drink to the menu, sensing the familial bond between them that she was silently puzzling over when V’s attention turned to her. Being the focus of V’s attention turned out to be just as mesmeric as Judy had imagined earlier and she floundered slightly, grasping at the first conversation topic that came to mind.

“About that drink –” Judy started, angling her body towards V fully while simultaneously keeping a watchful eye on her friend for any sign of trouble; just as Evelyn had her back, Judy had hers doubly.

“Oh it was nothin’ honestly, he wasn’t trying to hit on you or anything, he’s not– he’s just a generous –” V tried to explain, misunderstanding Judy’s meaning and appearing flustered for the first time so far. Judy was immediately endeared by this new side to the seemingly self-assured performer.

“Not what I was gonna say. The Moxes get free drinks ‘round here so we basically just conned your choom out of a few eddies. Not gonna complain about a free tip though.” Judy couldn’t help but grin as she told V this, eyes darting to the man himself but seeing he was still occupied by an animated conversation with Mateo.

V snorted in amusement, eyes crinkling at the corners as she began to laugh. This time, Judy caught herself staring at the angular jaw before catching herself and forcefully refocusing her attention on the conversation. “Ha, that’s hilarious! Let’s not tell him that though. So you’re sayin’ if I sign up as a Mox I can get wasted in here all day every day… for free? Where do I sign?”

Judy shook her head. The history of the Mox was a complex and convoluted one. They weren’t a traditional Night City gang and had instead formed from necessity to protect the many disregarded and mistreated sex workers. In that way they didn’t exactly have a typical induction process for wannabes, and without a formal power structure every member was important in their own right. Even without a traditional hierarchy though, they had an unofficial leader whose job description matched that of their symbolic and inspirational founder. “It ain’t that simple, Suze can be fussy about who she trusts enough to join the gang. And any plans you had for getting wasted on the job, forget ‘em. Three strikes and you’re out, no arguments. Trust me, I’ve tried.”

“Oh I definitely wanna hear that story some time. But right now I gotta ask about your line of work, are you the club’s resident editor?” V raised an eyebrow at Judy teasingly as she eyed her editing chip, clearly impressed; and really, she had no right to look so damn enticing.

Even then, Judy wasn’t keen to rehash the colossal shit show that had been her day so far so she glossed over V’s first topic. “Unfortunately not yet. I’ve been taking up lessons with T-Bug, she’s the current BD lead editor. Mainly just been helpin’ her out in the basement between performances.” Judy shrugged dismissively. It certainly wasn’t where she had hoped to be, struggling to get a foot in the door of the career she longed for. Coming to work every day and being surrounded by braindances in the making – completely immersed in them, even – without being able to play a role in the part of the process she was most interested in sometimes became demoralising. Susie Q’s favourite catchphrase rung in her head in answer, reminding her why she couldn’t be hired as an editor quite yet. _We are a business._ She didn’t have the kit, the experience or the reputation to take that role yet; Lizzie’s played a hugely important role both within the gang and the community, and therefore relied on income heavily. She just wasn’t up to scratch.

V had apparently picked up on Judy’s change in mood, much to her surprise, as her next words shifted the conversation on without trying to dig deeper. “I see… Well I was askin’ cause I think I might’ve had a little preview into your edits already. Did you scroll Pyramid Song?”

Judy tried to supress the rush of happiness that suddenly hit her at the recognition, a pleased little smile curling up the right side of her mouth. “Y-yeah, that was me, first solo editing job. T-Bug gave me some preem advice though, couldn’t have done it without her.” She didn’t quite know how to react to the complimentary tone of V’s words and so shifted the attention. It seemed to work, or maybe V had just taken pity on her clearly awkward fumbling.

“I’m excited to meet this T-Bug, she sounds great. So… have you seen any of my performances?”

Judy opened her mouth to reply, a flush already creeping up her neck and tinting her cheeks before her eyes caught on a commotion across the room. Evelyn was being ushered from the bar area by her three clients, seemingly surrounded by them. Her usually languid and sultry steps where sharp and staccato, the _click clack_ of her heels seeming to echo in Judy’s brain, amplified by a sudden flood of adrenalin as her attention zeroed in on the back of her friend’s blue head making her way to the shrouded side door leading to private booths.

“Something’s wrong.” She said shortly, already halfway out of her chair.

V blinked slowly, taking a moment to catch up with the abrupt change in tone before her eyes followed Judy’s concerned line of sight to Evelyn, catching her wide-eyed glance over a furred shoulder and taking note of the restrictive grip one of the men appeared to have on her waist before she disappeared into the shadowy hallway beyond. The door frame was backlit by red lights, the double-headed axe Moxes symbol, a labrys, which hung above the door suddenly seeming foreboding rather than empowering. Judy found the previously soothing sounds of the club, usually a pleasant thrum of white noise, becoming fractured as she became hyperaware of everything around her. The sounds no longer merging harmoniously but now clashing in an overwhelming tsunami of deafening noise.

“Let’s follow her, those guys look shifty.” V’s tone was no longer light and airy but had taken on a suspicious, steely quality. Yet in a few words, Judy felt soothed; it wasn’t her imagining things or projecting her own distrust onto others. Something _was_ wrong. Knowing V was at her back was strangely comforting and she flashed the woman a grateful half-smile before turning to the suddenly alert man behind the bar.

“Mateo, warn Susie. Might have a code red on our hands.” She was already striding across the floor, shouldering people out of her way carelessly, an instinct telling her V was following.

“Sí señorita.” Mateo’s eyes were already alight with his holo as he buzzed Susie, beginning to speak rapidly in Spanish as V grabbed Jackie’s arm and hauled him along behind her before he picked up on the palpable tension which had dampened the atmosphere in the room and followed more willingly.

The two newcomers followed Judy, who was already making her way towards where she knew Evelyn’s booth lay, across from her own, determination in every line of her tensed form. They rounded the final corner and V collided into Judy’s back as she stopped abruptly at a distance with a clear view of the booth. The three intimidating men still surrounded Evelyn, trapping the doll in front of the still-sealed door of her own booth, leering over her threateningly. They were too far away to hear the words that were being exchanged, but the body language of her friend was enough to make Judy start forward, only stopped by V’s arm snaking around her waist and holding her back.

“Don’t let them know we’re here. Right now they got their guard down, thinkin’ they’ve got her where they want her.” V spoke lowly into Judy’s ear, her firm grip around her not relaxing until she was sure they wouldn’t be given away by the impulsive techie. V stepped back from the warmth of Judy’s body, saving her own body’s reactions to the closeness to unpick later, and gestured for Jackie come closer.

“Are you packin’?” Jackie asked, already checking his own gold-plated pistols were loaded and ready. Clearly, the pair were used to handing firearms.

“Fuck, no, I’m not. Haven’t even got a damn stun or knife.” Judy made a mental note that she would never come to work unarmed again.

“We’ve got you covered. We’ll get her out of there safely, I promise.” Judy felt comforted by V’s words for a brief moment, allowing herself to feel the reassured before reminding herself of all of the promises that had been broken in the past.

“Promising’s one thing. Keeping it’s a whole other bag.” Her defences slammed up into place, before she was distracted by sudden movement at Evelyn’s booth.

The men were gesturing at Evelyn and one laughed, sneering into Evelyn’s terrified face before the door behind her slid open. Her eyes darted around fearfully, connecting to Judy’s widening eyes just before she was shoved into the booth roughly and disappeared from sight. The men followed her in rapidly, the last one leaning his hands on either side of the frame, effectively blocking the entrance until the other two managed to get the door closed again, preparing to stand guard. As he boxed them in, the dim lighting caught the skin of his upper arm, now bare of the jacket he had been wearing. Feeling like she was scrolling in that moment, a strange detachment came over her, Judy felt her gaze zero in on the red ink on his bicep, until it began to take shape into a recognisable, horrifying pattern. Jagged, blood-coloured lines formed the rough outline of a feline face on a darkened black background, overlayed with stylised Japanese characters revealing the men’s affiliation immediately.

“Shit. They’re Tyger Claws! Let’s move!” Behind her, V stopped her again, unknowingly grabbing Judy’s sensitive wrist and making her hiss and take a hasty step back. Ignoring V’s suddenly guilty expression, Judy raised an eyebrow questioningly. That was the second time she had been stopped by the presumptuous woman.

“No need to go in all guns a blazin’. Me and Jackie can take them out, no fuss. Rather avoid spilling blood on our first shift, bad omen ‘n all that.” She grinned briefly, all confidence even in the high-tension situation they’d found themselves in, though her eyes held a steely determination that went a long way to reassuring Judy that she was taking this seriously.

Before she could say a word (more than a word, honestly. She wasn’t helpless, damn it!), the two friends took off in front of her, creeping stealthily along the dingy corridor, bodies hugging the bubbled wall to stay out of sight of the Tyger Claw guard stood by the booth. V hung back, covering Jackie’s back as her eyes darted around watchfully, waiting as Jackie crept up on the guard and suddenly leapt up behind him. Judy was surprised at the grace of the large man, who had now silently taken down the lone guard with an unrelenting arm around his neck cutting off his air supply in seconds. Jackie lowered him to the ground and dragged him around to the side of the booth, out of sight.

Judy suddenly felt like she was watching a well-oiled team of mercs. There was more to the duo than met the eye evidently, intriguing her even further. With a flick of the wrist from Jackie as he got into place on one side of the sealed door, V’s deep blue implants gleamed to life as she scanned the door with her advanced optics and a moment later the tell-tale click of the door rang through the tensely silent corridor. V slipped into place on the other side of the door smoothly, sharing a look with Jackie.

The door slid open.

Judy started forward, raising her arms despite her lack of weapon. For a few moments, everything was still. Muffled sounds drifted down the corridor from the now-open booth, but evidently the two Tyger Claws within hadn’t noticed the breach. V peered around the corner before nodding to Jackie and, as one, they too disappeared beyond the door.

She couldn’t wait any longer without knowing what was going on. Tightly furling her hands closed into fists and ignoring the painful twinge in her wrist, Judy rushed down the corridor, the fear of the unknown making her steps falter and her heart thunder unevenly in her chest. The short corridor felt like an endless tunnel becoming narrower and narrower –

A single shot rang out, cracking through the silent air.

Judy lurched into the room in time to see V smash the handle of her gun down on the head of a downed thug, the other already crumpled in the far corner of the room being guarded by a watchful and slightly breathless Jackie. Her eyes found a bullet hole destroying the illusion of the booth’s interior and finally settled on the form huddled in the corner. Evelyn was trying her hardest to appear nonchalant and in control even as her hands trembled. That cocksure bravado was temporarily gone as she clutched the tatters of her top to herself.

“Ev, thank god.” She darted forward and took two pale hands in her own, giving them a calming squeeze. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

“No. No, I mean they pushed me and ripped some of my clothes but I’m okay, honestly. Just glad you guys got here when you did. Thought I was gonna flatline in this god damn box. Thanks for the help.” She tried to shrug off Judy’s care even as she was guided by her protective friend towards the door of the room, trying to remove her from the situation immediately.

Judy hesitated, turning to look back over her shoulder at V and Jackie. “I… Thank you.” She said simply, eyes lingering on V briefly before she turned to leave and take care of her friend. She turned back, catching sight of Evelyn’s shocked expression just beyond the door and movement from the corner of her eye.

Her hand was flying through the air before she truly registered what was happening, a sickening crunch echoing out through the corridor as her fist connected with the unsuspecting nose of the previously unconscious Tyger Claw guard. He seemed suspended in place for a second, his body swaying almost comically before he dropped to the floor like a sack of spare parts.

“Motherfu–!” She yelped, doubling over and clutching her wrist to her chest, expression contorted with pain.

“Holy shit chica, who taught you a left hook like that? What is this feeling in my chest? Is it pride? I think it is!” Jackie beamed as he checked out the mess Judy had made of the Claw’s face, nose now bent at a very uncomfortable angle.

V’s eyes, meanwhile, went straight to Judy’s punching hand with concern, noting the rivulets of blood dripping from her knuckles. “You need to get yourself to a ripper. Your hand’s definitely broken.” She ordered immediately, her tone suggesting that she wasn’t expecting an argument. Clearly, she didn’t quite understand Judy yet.

Jackie ushered them all back along the corridor towards the more populated bar area, rounding a corner when his chest suddenly collided with metal which felt suspiciously like…

Susie Q was stood just around the corner, Mox coloured Ba Xing Chong shotgun in hand pressed firmly into Jackie’s frozen form.

“Oh, hey boss, Situation’s under control.” Jackie said coolly, trying for a confident smile. “Lower the gun, please.”

“Are they Tyger Claws?” Susie asked, lowering the barrel only slightly and peering behind Jackie’s wide stance at the bodies strewn across the floor.

“Yeah, same tattoos on all three of ‘em, look.” Judy had retreated back to the body of the gang member she had downed, rolled back his sleeve and pointing to the exposed tattoos as Susie prowled over.

“Are they dead?”

“No, they’re just out cold. Didn’t wanna spill any unnecessary blood on our first day.” V replied quickly, standing a little straighter in front of their new employer, hoping she had made the right call.

Susie’s next words inadvertently confirmed her instincts. “Get ‘em out here quietly. Take ‘em somewhere far, far away and then delta the fuck out.” Susie leaned her shotgun on her shoulder. “Oh and by the way, welcome aboard.” She nodded to the two of them before taking her leave, abrupt as ever. She retreated in the direction of her office, most likely preparing to spend the next few hours pouring over camera footage checking for any other potential breaches in their security.

“You should get changed with the girls, Ev. I’m just gonna move these cabrónes outside then I’ll be right back.” Judy turned back to Evelyn, trying to usher her towards the dressing room before Evelyn shook herself from Judy’s grip and took a step back, crossing her arms and blocking her path.

“You are going to see a ripperdoc right now, look at your hand!” Evelyn disagreed immediately, now displaying her own protectiveness.

“She’s right. It needs seeing to.” V chimed in from the side, smirking at Evelyn’s slightly sour expression at their agreement, but accepting it in the situation, nonetheless.

“Look at you two, getting’ along. It’s fine, I’ve had worse, come on let’s get these fuckers out of here before they wake up.” Judy tried to argue, though its impact was ruined by the fact that her left side was still hunched over slightly and her arm cradled to her chest.

“Oh they’re gonna be sleepin’ tight tonight.” Jackie joined the standoff now, looking in amusement at V and Evelyn’s matching stubborn expressions. _Heh. More alike than they think._ “Give yourself a break, chica. Get that wrist seen to, I’m sure there’ll plenty of work for you to do here tomorrow.”

He ducked back into the booth and swung one thug over each shoulder in quick succession before hauling them out towards the door. Before Judy could even consider trying to take the third, V hefted the remaining body over her shoulder, ‘accidentally’ swinging his head into the door frame as she exited the booth and followed Jackie out into the parking lot behind Lizzie’s.

“Woah, what the fuck happened?” Rita almost dropped her bat at the sight of the bodies, hurrying over to the group as they emerged. They made a strange group. Jackie emerged first, his silhouette briefly appearing like some sort of walking shed thanks to the extra bulk of the two bodies on his shoulders. He was followed by V, dragging her own load with a little more difficulty especially since she kept glancing worriedly over her shoulder at the last two members of their ragtag team. Evelyn and Judy walked out arm and arm, heads tilted together has they had a hushed conversation between them, ending when Judy shoved her away with a blush and roll of her eyes. Evelyn flashed Judy a knowing look, before disappearing back into Lizzie’s.

“Tyger Claws. Second time this month. Don’t know how they got passed you, Wheeler.” Judy’s words carried more of an accusatory bite than she intended, still worked up over what ifs surrounding Evelyn’s incredibly annoying knack for getting herself into trouble. She grimaced at Rita and grit out an apology, which was promptly waved away by the purple-haired woman.

“Musn’t have had my glasses on.” Rita quipped lightly, unfazed by Judy’s hot and cold attitude. “What happened to your wrist? And his face?” She gestured to the goon V dropped to the floor by a parked van, his face already showing the beginnings of what would be a spectacular bruise.

“Judy happened.” V replied with a smirk, admiration flashing in her eyes as she glanced at Judy briefly before returning her attention to the bodies around them.

“That’s fuckin’ preem. Gonna have to start callin’ you Punchin’ Judy. A real Mox gang name.” Rita grinned. “Speakin’ of which, catch.”

She threw something at Judy, who luckily reached out and caught it with her good hand, a smile lighting up her tired eyes as she realised what she had been given. The green and pink Mox beanie was soft and inviting, and she instantly knew it would get a lot of wear. “Is this the somethin’ you were talking about?” She smiled gratefully at Rita, genuinely touched by the gesture which provided a little glimmer of light at the end of what had been a truly horrific day.

“Yup, seems like you’ve earned it today. Good catch. Literally and figuratively.” She slung her arm around Judy’s shoulder in a quick side hug, careful to avoid her injured wrist, before she wandered back to the entrance, watchful eyes now scanning every visible corner of the area.

Judy turned to V and Jackie then, all-business. “C’mon get those bodies in my van before someone sees.”

V crossed her arms, her features settling into a determined expression as she stood in front of Judy. “Y’know Judy you should really see a ripper about your hand, it doesn’t look good. And your wrist is all bruised up too. Let me take you on my bike, it ain’t far.” She tried to appeal, the beginnings of a hopeful smile fading quickly in the face of Judy’s suddenly shuttered expression and cold eyes.

“I can take care of myself thank you very much. Here, which one of you is drivin’?” She turned away from V dismissively, seemingly ready to bolt.

“That would be me.” Jackie raised his hand and caught Judy’s keys, recognising the signs of losing battle when he saw one.

“Just get those bodies out of here and leave my van where you found it. And uh… thanks for helpin’ Evelyn.” She was gone without saying goodbye.


	3. Corporate Affairs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Further exploration of Judy/Maiko and V/Meredith relationships and of course, more Judy/V (cause that's what we're all here for, right?) Please read the trigger warning below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !TW! Panic attack, marked with **** for those wanting to skip.

Judy took a breath, willing her uninjured hand to stop shaking before finally pressing it into the biometric scanner and allowing the front door to slide open. She clutched her Moxes jacket closely to her body, one sleeve hanging limp and useless at her side while the fabric obscured part of her torso. She stepped into the apartment cautiously, the echo of the door sliding shut behind her breaking the silence as her eyes landed on the figure in front of her.

“Judy?” Maiko jerked up from where she had been slumped on the couch. She looked less put together than Judy had seen her in a while, hair dishevelled and makeup scrubbed clean from an exhausted face.

“Maiko! Listen, I can explain –”

“Where have you been?” She took a step back jerkily, body tensing up as Maiko darted out of her seat almost immediately, clutching her arm to her chest in defence. “I was worried sick.” Maiko reached her, eyes wide as they scanned over Judy’s form and came to a rest on the empty sleeve on her left side. Her hands came up and removed Judy’s jacket with surprising gentleness as the injured Mox remained frozen and unresponsive in her shock. She watched with a strange sort of detachment as Maiko’s hands hovered uncertainly around her wrist, eyebrows creased with worry.

“It’s fine. All fixed now and I got some preem ‘dorphs to sort the pain.” Judy replied hazily, good hand hesitantly gripping her output’s forearm as she was pulled into a soft, fleeting embrace. “There is one thing though, the bill. I didn’t have enough funds in my account to pay the doc so I had to use your deets. I hope that was okay. I’m sorry.” She fiddled with a loose thread on her overalls, avoiding meeting her output’s eyes. Their argument the previous day was fresh in her mind, she hated the idea that having to use Maiko’s money had proved her point. She _did_ need her.

“Of course. Eddies’ll come and go but _you_ are irreplaceable. Don’t worry about it. Now tell me what happened to send you there in the first place?” Maiko steered her towards the couch before her eyes examined Judy’s bandaged arm. Tentatively, Judy gave a quick recount of the previous night’s events, making sure to gloss over certain details and completely avoided mentioning others. There was no need to talk about her argument with Susie Q, which seemed ridiculous to Judy now in the light of day but would surely provide another strike against Lizzie’s and the Moxes for Maiko. Just mentioning either was surely enough to prematurely end Maiko’s surprisingly caring actions, so Judy made sure to frame the whole scenario in a way which made it clear the blame for her injury lay on the Tyger Claws.

“About yesterday, Jude. I’m sorry. Work has me all kinds of messed up and I took that out on you.” Judy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Just when she thought this night couldn’t get any stranger… Receiving a genuine apology from Maiko was more than unexpected, but not only had she apologised but actually seemed to be taking responsibility for her actions. Well, some of them. Usually, Judy was the one apologising; had been that way ever since they started dating. _Is this really happening or is it just the ‘dorphs?_

“It’s fine. I mean, it’s not fine but… it’s okay. I get it.” She took a deep breath, relief washing over her that their argument had been put to rest. Despite how taxing the last twenty-four hours had been, Judy felt a strange sense of calm. She had spent the last few hours agonising over the reaction she’d expected from Maiko, had put off coming home for hours because of it despite how exhausted she was. After their most recent argument, she had expected another spiteful teardown and was sure she couldn’t have handled it. She felt so lucky to be proved wrong. “I’m beat, been up all night waiting to see that ripper in Kabuki. Apparently a lot of people getting fucked up tonight.”

Maiko nodded. “Of course, come on let’s get you to bed.” She led her into their shared bedroom, not letting go of her for a moment. It was as if she really had been up all night worrying. “Would you like some help undressing?”

Judy sensed the flirtatious undertone to the question, which on one hand was something that she had come to expect from the other woman yet it also threw her off. They’d had very little contact recently, either arriving as Maiko was leaving or vice versa. Their relationship had become defined by arguments and sex, little more. Yet here was a glimpse of the Maiko that Judy had fallen for. The woman who had cared for her when she had nothing and no one, who made her feel wanted. Perhaps that woman hadn’t gone anywhere and she was simply struggling with the pressures of her job.

“If you don’t mind? It’s kinda hard trying to remove clothes one-handed.” She perched herself on the edge of the bed, kicking off her sneakers. At least that was one thing she could manage alone. Maiko smiled as she approached Judy, her eyes still showing that teasingly suggestive glint.

“Hasn’t stopped you before when your other hand has been… occupied.” A smirk crept across her output’s face as she unclipped the one remaining strap of her overalls, letting the front section fall down so her knotted crop top was exposed. Judy hid a grin at the little huff of frustration Maiko let out as she attempted to untie the knot, trying to avoid pulling the skin-tight top off while it was still tied and jostling Judy’s injured arm.

“Those circumstances were very different…” Judy pointed out, trailing off as Maiko finally managed to get the knot undone. Ignoring her joke about her impractically long nails, Maiko peeled the crop top off and over Judy’s head; leaving her torso bare, with the exception of her sapphire blue bra. Her eyes lingered again at the exposed Mox tattoos and Judy’s breath hitched, a brief flash of fear going through her as she tried to read Maiko’s expression. To her continuing surprise, Maiko said nothing.

“I suppose. It’s a shame though, about your hand.” She slipped off Judy’s bra, throwing it out of reach and letting her eyes drag purposefully down Judy’s semi-naked body. She was very aware suddenly that her overalls were hanging loosely around her hips, barely clinging on and avoiding falling down, a lot of skin now on display. “Why did you have the break the _good_ one?”

“I guess ol’ righty is gonna have some time to catch up to lefty’s standards.” Judy grinned, feeling quite turned on all of a sudden even though she barely had enough energy left to remain upright. She was still blaming the ‘dorphs for that too. She lifted her legs as Maiko pulled off her overalls, leaving her underwear in place and shooting Maiko her signature look of seduction.

Maiko just laughed, encouraging Judy to shuffle around and make herself comfortable in bed, as much as she was able. “And I’m sure it will. But right now, you need to rest. I’ve got an important meeting at Clouds tonight so I’ll be working late but I’ll be around today if you need anything. Just shout, okay? I’ll be in our office. Obviously, I’m staying right here until you fall asleep though.” Feeling overwhelmed, Judy made a spur of the moment decision as she pulled her down for a kiss. It felt different to anything she had felt with Maiko recently. She was temporarily transported into their past, the care from Maiko giving her déjà vu to a very similar moment nearly two years ago. A time when things between them had been fresh and exciting rather than painful and devastating.

_Judy groaned, holding a hand to her pounding skull, pain flaring in her head like the thudding of a drum. The light seemed to refract and splinter as she looked at it through squinted eyes and she almost felt like her brain had been hacked. She supposed it was her own fault. She had spent the last 72 hours nearly continuously scrolling a self-shot BD and her body was finally giving out on her._

_“Knock knock.”_

_She glanced up and made out the blurred shape of her output framed in the doorway, a weak smile of dawning sunlight breaking across her face as she came over and perched on the side of the bed. “How you feeling, Jude?” Her voice was almost a whisper, aware of Judy’s painful condition as concerned eyes examined her face for any signs of pain. She had found Judy in her van after a weekend spent apart while Judy had time off from Clouds and Maiko was working overtime for extra clients. With little more than a handful of messages, Maiko had tracked her down in her van to find her in a semi-conscious state, a braindance wreath ‘borrowed’ from Clouds still on her head; she had been in agony ever since, but it was finally beginning to fade._

_“Eh. At least I know my limits now, right?” She mumbled in a poor attempt to joke before wincing guiltily at the sight of her output’s clear disapproval._

_“Well, now that you’re at least capable of holding a conversation and I know you’re gonna be okay after your three-day BD bender, I’m saying this. Don’t you_ ever _do something so damn stupid again.” Despite the harsh words, Judy could see the concern in Maiko’s eyes and smiled, reaching out and pulling in for a soft kiss._

Judy snapped out of her memory as Maiko leant back and looked at Judy expectantly, waiting for her to close her eyes and try to sleep.

“Thank you. For everything.” She echoed the same words she had spoken the last time they were in this position.

* * *

Lightly strummed notes from an acoustic guitar filled the otherwise-quiet apartment. V was reclined back on the couch, guitar in hand as she worked on a few new licks and riffs, finding the time to pick the instrument up for the first time in a few days. Now that she no longer felt the overpowering pressure that came with being gigless, she was able to breathe and actually enjoy the fresh start. Her thoughts drifted to her first day at Lizzie’s, one aspect of the day standing out more than others, though she was reluctant to admit it.

V had been called stubborn all her life. First, by her mother when she would dig her little heels in and refuse to pack up and leave their current home, tearing up their roots repeatedly as they bounced from place to place. They’d never had the chance to stop running before it all was over with a sudden, brutal bluntness. Next, she had been called stubborn by Mama Welles, the woman who had adopted her before V had even stepped foot in her welcoming house; determined to make it without anyone’s help. _Cariña, sit. Take a plate and eat with us. Heh. You are a stubborn one, no?_ The relentless affection from the woman had quickly worn down V’s defences once she had allowed herself to be cared for, experiencing the security of a real home for the first time. And always one to take after his mother, Jackie called her stubborn all the damn time.

But surely she wasn’t as stubborn as the fiery little Mox she had met the previous night. Despite being unarmed and later injured, Judy had repeatedly insisted on putting herself in danger. V could respect it in a way, the lengths Judy would have gone to in order to save her friend was certainly something she could relate to. She couldn’t count the number of times she had charged into volatile situations to save Jackie’s ass when he was being impulsive or trigger-happy in their younger days. She almost wished she had got the techie’s number, telling herself it was just because she wanted to check that the ripperdoc had been able to fix her up. Wouldn’t have minded taking her on the Kusanagi at all, if only she hadn’t been so goddamn _stubborn_. At least she would have had the peace of mind she’d needed to focus on the job ahead. Not knowing whether she’d been fixed up was eating away at her, but the only contact she had on her holo from Lizzie’s was Susie Q, and she sure as hell wasn’t about to disturb her boss because she was being soft.

Her and Jackie had driven Judy’s sturdy van out to the Badlands and launched the still-unconscious Tyger Claws into a scrapheap before returning the van to Lizzie’s, dropping Jackie off at Misty’s en route. V was worried about the dent she had accidentally made on one of the rear doors – she had slipped while hauling one of the deadweight bodies from the back and accidentally smacked the door into the side of a rusted, eroded car frame. The guilty part of her hoped Judy wouldn’t notice but she couldn’t, in all good conscience, hide it from the Mox and not own up to her mistake. She just hoped she wouldn’t get too mad about it. A few hours were enough to know that she did not want to be on Judy Alvarez’s bad side.

Her thoughts wandered to the Tyger Claw infiltration the night before and she wondered how often they’d been inside Lizzie’s before, unnoticed. The idea was disconcerting; gang rivalries in Night City were no joke, with their bloody and violent history. She wondered what their issue with the Moxes was; truly, she hadn’t known much about the Kabuki gang before she had moved. They weren’t considered one of the high-profile gangs of Night City, were rarely involved in conflict and didn’t necessarily have their own, marked-out territory they defended. For these reasons, V struggled to understand them; everything about the Moxes was completely different compared to her experience with gangs in the past. Yet this friction with the Tyger Claws? That was more familiar. Certainly dangerous too; she hadn’t expected the risk of being zeroed would be so high when she took the job. Before she could obsess and worry about it too much, V’s train of thought was interrupted by the loud click clack of high heels against the floor of the corridor outside the apartment.

“V, stop what you’re doing. I need you, it’s important.” Meredith strode straight to her bedroom without giving her more than a cursory glance, carrying two large suit bags and dropping them on her bed before stripping off. V couldn’t help but roll her eyes, though she followed Meredith into her room nonetheless.

“Nice to see you too. First day on the job was great, thanks for asking.” She quipped, aiming for joking but aware of the slightly bitter edge her tone had taken on. She had barely seen her third roommate in the last few weeks, for more than a few fleeting hours at a time, and regretted missing her; the feeling was never reciprocated. She flashed Meredith a too-forced smirk, making the older woman quirk an eyebrow at her questioningly, clearly unamused.

“If I promise to listen to you moan about your day later, will you shut up and strip?” Meredith asked, a triumphant and self-assured look coming into her eyes when V became clearly distracted by her nakedness. Maybe she even took longer than necessary to pull stockings up her long, toned legs, aware of V’s eyes tracing her every movement. “I’ll even let you take these off me later, if you’re a good girl. Though you should know, I won’t be wearing anything else under this.” She slowly pulled a figure-hugging, ash-grey pencil skirt up her legs before looking at her companion expectantly.

“M’working in a few hours. How long is this gonna take?” V was reluctant to give in, even as she felt her fight fading. It was always like this with her infuriating corpo housemate.

“Only an hour. Two tops. I’ve got a meeting with some high-end clients. I’d like to introduce you as my partner. Look, I even bought you a nice new suit.” Meredith placed the remaining suit bag on the bed and unzipped it smoothly, revealing the expensive, high quality fabric of the suit underneath. The blazer caught V’s eye first with its deep, metallic red shade and gunmetal grey panels which she knew would fit to her form and enhance it enticingly. The shirt was made of some opulent synth-fabric which appeared to be silk – but surely Meredith wasn’t able to afford such a purchase yet, let alone for someone other than herself. It was a bottomless black shade, its dark depths enhanced further by the magenta splashes of colour throughout the shirt, forming an appealing pattern. Finally, the ensemble was completed with a pair of grey slacks matching the shade on the blazer. V knew she would look damn fine in that outfit.

“Fine, I’m in. Only for the free suit though.” She put up a good show of reluctance even as she began to strip off, ignoring the pleasant clench in the pit of her stomach and rush of heat that always came when Meredith eyed her in such a hungry way. She could already imagine the way she would peeled out of the suit later…

“Thought that would catch your attention. Now hurry up, we’ve gotta get there ASAP.” Meredith called over her shoulder as she made her way to the apartment’s one bathroom, reapplying her lipstick and touching up her makeup before they could leave.

Buttoning the blazer into place and smoothing down the fabric against her torso, V checked her reflection in the mirror and admired the perfect fit of the suit. It was like it had been tailored specifically for her. Maybe she could get used to owning clothes like this one day. She met Meredith by the door as the woman checked some information on her data pad, back to her detached self now that she had V’s compliance.

“Are you riding with me?” Meredith looked up, V unable to stop herself from smirking at the double-meaning of the phrase. Resisting the urge to make a comment, knowing she would only pay for it later, she considered the question. Normally, she wouldn’t pass up the opportunity of more time with Meredith but she wanted to make sure she had her own ride if things went on too long and she had to dash to work. She was not going to be late again.

“Nah, I’ll take my bike. Send me the co-ords.” The two walked out together, heading towards the lower-level parking lot. Just before V mounted her bike she was pressed into it by Meredith, bracketed in by her hips and pinned against it by arms blocking her in either side. Meredith leaned in close as she managed to slip her leg between V’s thighs, raising her knee to V’s centre with practiced ease as her lips skimmed along the performer’s angular jaw, careful not to leave a lipstick mark. One of her hands left a trail of fire along one of V’s exposed thighs before coming to rest at her centre, fingers teasingly skimming along the seam of her slacks. V was gasping within moments, resisting the urge to grip Meredith’s collar and pull her in closer since she knew she would most likely be punished for ruining Meredith’s business wear later in one of her favourite games.

“Who knew you’d clean up so damn well? Lookin’ awfully delicious in that suit. We just might not make it on time.” Meredith murmured in her ear, grinding her leg upwards just enough to elicit another breathy moan from V before she stepped away and turned to get into her car. V was on the verge of begging. “Unfortunately, patience is a virtue. See you there, partner.” She was gone before V had even caught her breath.

Ten minutes and a very uncomfortable bike ride later, V pulled up outside a glamorous restaurant in the business centre of Night City. On her journey, she had watched the ramshackle, graffitied buildings she knew begin to grow into sleek houses and towering skyscrapers as she got further away from home and into the unfamiliar territory of the Night City elite. She didn’t spend a lot of time in the Corpo district so took some time to take in the scenery, make a guess at how much some of the cybernetic implants around her cost, before her ‘partner’ arrived. It was a good enough distraction to calm her racing pulse and push her arousal down enough to function like a normal person. At least, until later.

“Now remember, smile, don’t ask unnecessary questions and don’t tell them _anything_ about what you do. Just follow my lead, clear?” Meredith spoke crisply, her teasing playfulness from before completely obscured by her corpo mask, a merciless coldness emanating from her very being. Her body language read a very clear _don’t fuck with me_.

“Crystal.” V sighed, recognising the change in their interaction immediately. The pair entered the imposingly tall building, greeted with a pristine white and grey lobby as Meredith strutted straight past the curious receptionist as if she owned the place and headed towards the elevator. V flashed the poor woman what she hoped was an apologetic smile as she passed and joined Meredith. They rode the elevator up to the 96th floor, V internally rolling her eyes at the sheer excessiveness.

Once they stepped into the restaurant on the top floor however, she had to admit that the view was spectacular. Night City lay stretched before them as far as the eye could see, the chaotic hum of noise usually associated with its streets completely removed. It almost seemed peaceful from the high vantage point. The fear, the violence, the threat. They were all silent. It could make anyone feel like they were on top of the world and had complete monopoly over the entire city; no wonder corpos lived and worked in such tall buildings. It was a physical hierarchy allowing them to look down on the ant-sized everyday residents below, a constant reminder of corporate power in the face of the pathetic fodder fighting to survive every day. Being there, looking down at the city spread below like a chessboard waiting to be manipulated, V felt a flicker of understanding towards Meredith; how a glimpse at this powerful lifestyle was addictive.

She was torn from her musings by the arrival of two men in sharply tailored suits which probably cost more than V’s monthly salary, and she fought to keep her expression a mix of neutral and respectful. With one obvious, notable exception, she really fucking hated corpos.

“Good evening gentlemen, what a pleasure to see you. This is my business partner, V.” She immediately took charge of the meeting in true Meredith style, stepping in front of V to shake the two men’s hands. Neither men paid V much attention beyond a polite incline of their heads. It was abundantly clear who they were here to deal with, and they didn’t see fit to waste their time on anyone else.

As the meal dragged on, V thought she really could have done with some additional details about this meeting. Like the fact that Meredith was trying to buy military-grade weaponry for her firm from the two gentlemen before them, who apparently represented Militech. Or maybe the fact that she was there as a _business_ partner. V tried not to feel the sting that came with being misled but she didn’t for a second believe that it was a mere slip of the tongue from Meredith; the woman was scarily intelligent and shrewd. And like a total gonk, V had jumped to her tune thinking their relationship was finally progressing somewhere. How goddamn stupid. Meredith would never involve someone like her in her business dealings as a romantic partner, not when she wouldn’t gain anything from it.

After nearly two hours of the meeting, V couldn’t bear to stay a second longer. It had been two hours of silence on her part, apart from the occasional forced laugh she was required to give to some form of derogatory joke. Excusing herself to the restrooms to ‘freshen up’, she sent a desperate text to Jackie.

_V: Choom, I need your help. Been roped into a business meeting with Meredith. Gotta delta or I’m gonna be late for work again. Can you holo call me?_

Jackie’s reply came back within a minute.

_Jackie Welles: Say no more chica, Jackie’s on the case._

V grinned. She could always rely on her best choom to have her back, though she knew she would be getting hell from him for appeasing Meredith later. Jackie wouldn’t let her hear the end of it for at least a week. Re-joining the table, she pretended to enjoy the meal as she waited for her holo to signify her escape.

Ten minutes later, the call came. “Excuse me, gentlemen. This call simply cannot wait.” Her eyes shone blue with the cybernetic glow of the holo as she answered, already out of her seat and straightening her suit jacket, making her way to the elevators after the pleasantries and goodbyes were exchanged. The last thing she saw before the doors closed was the look of cold fury in Meredith’s eyes. _Oh boy, will I be answering for this later._ A part of her wasn’t against the idea, to her mild embarrassment. She strode out of the building quickly and threw a leg over her bike, aware of the time as she started the engine.

“You outta there yet, hermana? Is it safe to laugh?” She had forgotten that Jackie was still on the holo and refocussed on his laughing face in her peripherals.

“All clear, amigo. The package is on its way.” She sped off in the direction of Lizzie’s.

* * *

“She’s dating a corpo? Didn’t see that comin’. Tell me more, I need deets, all of ‘em.” Rita grinned at her new door companion and co-bouncer as she lounged against the wall outside Lizzie’s, the setting sun casting a deep glow over the parking lot.

“Well dating’s probably takin’ it a little too far, I don’t think the bitch is capable of emotions _that_ human. But V, she’s all twisted up in it, wouldn’t say she’s head over heels but she’s certainly invested in the bedroom activity. The puta must have one gigantic –”

“Hey Wheeler. Welles.” Evelyn’s appearance behind them quickly terminated Jackie’s next sentence. “Who’re you girls gossiping about, hm?”

Jackie gestured behind Evelyn’s back for her not to say anything.

“V’s corpo mistress!” Jackie groaned as Rita basked in the enjoyment of spilling the secrets of the newbies. Trial by fire; there were no secrets in the Mox.

“Interesting. How long has she been involved with said mistress?” Evelyn wandered over, suddenly very interested in being a part of this conversation.

“Too damn long.” Jackie deadpanned, momentarily forgetting that he had been trying to _stop_ spilling deets on V’s private life. “Girl needs to find herself a nice mamacita to settle down with. One that’ll treat her right and not like some fuckin’ doll. No offence, Parker.”

Evelyn certainly had a few choice things to say in response to Jackie’s callous slip but was distracted by the tell-tale sounds of V’s Kusanagi approaching, marking its owner’s arrival.

“What’s up everyone?” V was still wearing her formal suit from the meeting with Meredith, having decided she liked the way it looked. Maybe she was hoping to catch a certain techie’s eye even a little, especially after the afternoon she’d just had a little attention couldn’t hurt.

“Uh- Uh- Nothin’ y’know just… Getting some bat swingin’ lessons from my new choom here. Which pose do you prefer? Stern and moody or flirty and playful?” Jackie floundered, trying to cover up his gossiping as he showed off his two poses using his bat, matching Rita’s almost perfectly. His attempt to deflect from their conversation fell flat as Evelyn turned to V with a shit-eating grin on her face, the glint in her eye devilish.

“Nice date with your corpo-rat mistress? Well I certainly didn’t have you pegged as a bottom; no pun intended.” V turned a deep shade of red, eyes glaring daggers at Jackie who tried for nonchalance but clearly in that moment wanted to be somewhere else.

“It wasn’t a date. Fuck you all. And I’ll have you know I’m very versatile in the bedroom!” V insisted, trying to ignore the heat in her cheeks which only intensified when her weak defence was met with nothing but laughter on all sides. She didn’t know how and she didn’t know when, but she was going to get Jackie back for the embarrassment he had caused one day.

“That’s the biggest load of shit I’ve ever heard!” Rita cackled wickedly, half bent-over and leaning on her bat for support as she tried to catch her breath from laughing at the near-purple shade V had turned.

In an attempt to shift the conversation off her, V turned to Evelyn. “How are you and Judy doin’? Did she see a ripperdoc?”

“I’m fine, nothing I couldn’t handle.” She examined her nails, not looking directly at V as she said the next sentence. “Judy’s happier than I’ve seen her in a while. Came in today with this big, gonk grin on her face. Says her output’s been taking _real_ good care of her.” Evelyn looked up from her nails, scrutinising every detail on V’s face to determine her reaction, wondering if her growing suspicions were about to be proven correct.

“That’s… preem. Glad to hear you’re both safe and well. Anyways, I gotta go, I’m late for my promo shoot.” Abruptly and without further word, V shouldered past the trio in the doorway and moved quickly into the club, disappearing from sight.

“Girl, you’re a savage!” Rita was still open-mouthed, though a look of amusement was spreading across her face.

“You all saw what I just saw, right?” Jackie asked as he looked back and forth between his companions and the direction his friend had disappeared.

“Oh, absolutely. I got everything I needed.” A calculating smile crept across Evelyn’s face before she sauntered back into the club.

* * *

V made her way further into Lizzie’s and tried to get herself into the work mindset, attempting to ignore the creeping sense of disappointment niggling at her. Judy had an output. She should have guessed that her gorgeous co-worker was taken. Good girls didn’t stay single for long. At least Judy had someone looking after her, hopefully having more success at getting her to look after herself too. V supposed that it at least kept things uncomplicated at work; she knew the boundary now and would keep their relationship strictly professional.

As she entered the Mox dressing room, Susie Q smiled at V which brought her out of her dampening mood and back to reality. “Hey, V. Just wanted to say thanks again for the way you and Jackie handled the situation yesterday. Good work deserves an even better reward, I transferred a little bonus to your account. Good luck with the shoot, remember, first impressions are everything.”

The comment made V smile and feel a small sense of pride through the hazy cloud that currently hung over her head.

“Thanks Suze, ‘preciate it.” Susie nodded in response and made her way back towards her office while V started heading down the steps to the basement, ready to make a start on her workday. Susie had let her know that morning that she would be recording for her front-of-house holo promotion so the new addition to the Lizzie’s team was shown off to the patrons coming in and out. Hopefully, it would not only provide a boost in revenue for the business from the excitement of a new face, but also get V a few exclusive gigs and BD requests to get her some nice bonuses and additions to her acting portfolio.

Despite the benefits of recording the holo, each step down to the basement was slower than the last, V trying to shake off the last of her less-than-welcome downtrodden mood before she had to see Judy. The woman had been through enough in the last twenty-four hours without a colleague bumming her out on her shift as well. She was assuming Judy would be involved anyway, after what she had learned about her mentor-style relationship with Lizzie’s resident BD expert T-Bug. Unless she was currently performing herself… _Now that’s an image._ V firmly put a stop to that train of thought. Co-worker. Taken. Possible friend, nothing more. These inappropriate thoughts needed to stop. She was about to meet the esteemed BD editor, another new colleague, and ideally she would make a good impression since she would be working closely with the woman for a long time. Trying to focus on the positives, V activated her optical cybernetics on her way down and decided to check her bank account, curious about how generous a tipper Susie Q really was. Jackie might have been hired muscle but she certainly wasn’t, so hopefully there would be some nice compensation waiting for her. Most of the money she had saved over the last five years had gone into the move and spring-boarding her career, a worthwhile investment since it had finally landed her a permanent gig.

The sight of her balance brought her no comfort, however. The air suddenly seemed thicker, or at least she was certainly having a hard time breathing in that moment. Confusion reigned supreme in her mind as she tried to understand what she was seeing. Where had all her money gone? How could she possibly have less money now than she did yesterday? She brought up her recent transactions. _52,000 Eddies to Jinguji? What the fuck?_ An unstoppable wave of anxiety swept in and threatened to overwhelm her; it didn’t take her long to realise what happened as she looked down at the expensive suit on her body. She wished she could pretend to be shocked, but instead she just felt foolish. V should have expected this from Meredith, but it had been so long since the last time that she thought… Well. It didn’t matter what she thought. Either way, she was fucked. She hadn’t realised that she was already stood outside the door to the BD editing suite by this point, continuing to stare at her balance vacantly. She didn’t even notice when the doors opened or see the way Judy’s eyes were scanning her from top to bottom, jaw slightly agape.

********

“V? Are you okay?” Judy could admit that she had been shamelessly staring at V suited up and dressed to the nines. But the ashen, unnatural pallor of the woman’s skin instantly put her on alert, especially when V seemed completely unaware of her presence even after she had spoken. “Digame what’s going on?” Judy reached her hurriedly and gently pulled her into a corner of the server room, away from any prying eyes. V slid down the wall, hugging her knees as her breathing grew shallower, eyes wide as she began hyperventilating. Judy knelt beside her immediately.

“You’re okay, you’re safe. Can I touch you?” Judy’s tone was calm and soothing. At V’s jerky nod, she reached out and gripped one of V’s hands firmly in her own. “What can I do?” V didn’t respond to her question but seemed to soften at her touch. Judy took that as a positive sign that she was doing the right thing, and so gave V’s hand a gentle squeeze, rubbing the back of her hand with her thumb in a calming manner.

“Breathe, V. Deep breath in –” Judy took a slow inhale and exhale. “– and out. Let’s do it together. Count with me. One... Two… Three...” Judy led V through the deep breathing exercises until her breathing regulated and her body slowly stopped trembling. Her hand moved then to stroke her arm soothingly. “That’s it. You’ve got this. Eight…Nine… Ten... Good girl.” She slowly came back to herself, Judy’s final words grounding her almost immediately in a way she did not want to think about too deeply.

********

V reluctantly opened her eyes, shame already bringing colour to her cheeks as she fought against the instinct to flinch away from Judy’s touch; it felt too nice. Her vision was taken up by Judy’s concerned face, eyebrows cinched together slightly as assessing but kind eyes scanned her face, checking that she was truly coming back to herself. Faced with such concern, V couldn’t help her next move as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Judy’s waist, drawing her small frame in close until her face was partially buried in Judy’s hair. She was careful to avoid Judy’s now-bandaged arm; at least she had chosen to see a ripperdoc after all. Judy hugged her back, her firm embrace going a long way to making V feel grounded and secure. She noticed the light floral scent of Judy’s shampoo, involuntarily drinking it in as she held her and calmed further. She didn’t know how long they sat like that, pressed against each other, it could have been minutes or hours for all she knew. But eventually, Judy pulled away and gave her the sweetest smile like a ray of sunshine.

“I’m… so sorry.” The guilt and embarrassment of the situation hit her and she began to retreat, stopped only by Judy’s hand clamping down on her forearm to halt her half-scramble away.

“You have nothing to be sorry for. Hell, I’m sorry I didn’t get here earlier. It’s okay V, I get them too. I know how you feel. You’re safe with me, te prometo.” Judy promised, somehow knowing exactly what to say and V relaxed, her head thudding back against the wall as she closed her eyes briefly and took a steadying breath.

“Thanks for being here. I owe you one.”

“We can call it even after yesterday. You uh… really helped us out.” She knew Judy was offering her a way out of the conversation; V couldn’t have felt more grateful in that moment. Distracting herself, she examined Judy’s bandaged hand and wrist, cautious fingers wrapping around it and checking that the bandage had been secured properly.

“So I guess Miss Stubborn got her hand checked out after all? Lemme guess, broken?” V cocked an eyebrow at Judy, the hint of a smirk ghosting on her lips, albeit a weak one.

Judy sighed, shaking her head but smiling, glad to see a hint of the V she had met yesterday beginning to shine through. “Yeah, yeah. You were right. Cost a bomb to fix though. Maybe I’ll re-think unarmed combat next time; it’d be cheaper to just buy a gun.”

“I’d be more than happy to teach you how to hold an iron some time when your hand’s recovered. I’m a pretty good shot if I do say so myself.” V almost regretted the words as they left her mouth but couldn’t possibly pass upon the opportunity to spend time with the techie outside of work. Maybe it wasn’t the best decision for her developing infatuation with the woman, bur she would deal with that. She was a big girl.

“I’m gonna hold you to that.” Judy grinned at her briefly, expression oh so soft that V had to look away for a moment. “So, you wanna talk about what happened or you wanna go shoot your promo?”

“Definitely can’t get into that again right now.” V appreciated the offer, but they were at the start of what would surely be a long shift. This wasn’t the time for soul-destroying conversations. Judy accepted her decision wordlessly and stood, offering her good hand to V and with surprising strength pulled her back up onto shaky legs.

“C’mon let’s take all this nervous energy and go shoot the best damn promo this club has ever seen.” She led V further into the basement and towards the editing studio, only realising just before they entered the main room that their hands were still entwined.


	4. We Lost Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snapshots of the gang over a four-week period. There's smut, angst, violence and fluff. Please read the TW below - tags have been updated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Here's a bonus 9K word chapter to brighten your Tuesday. 
> 
> !TW! Marked between the **** as usual.  
> First section is smut.  
> Second section contains scenes of Dub-Con BDSM relationship.  
> Third section is a graphic depiction of violence. 
> 
> Read at your own risk.

Judy gave V’s hand one last reassuring squeeze, looking over her shoulder with a smile as she pushed open the double doors to the BD editing suite. The panic attack was still fresh on her mind, but she knew from experience that what V needed right now was a distraction to help ground her, something that would allow her to feel in control again. The lead editor was sat in a large chair with her legs perched on her desk, surrounded by a variety of monitors. Her eyes were lit blue from the shine of the BD wreath wrapped around her head as she scrolled with her editing glove, completely unaware of her surroundings. At least three of the screens around her were showing various shots of two large men, one wearing a thick, spiked cock sheath ploughing into his partner from behind. _What a brilliant introduction._

Judy fought to hide her smile, clearing her throat before realising that the woman couldn’t hear her. “Yo, Bug, we got company.” Judy nudged her friend in the arm, startling her as her eyes returned to their usual, darker colour.

“Fuck Jude, don’t sneak up on me like that.” T-Bug looked a similar age to V and would have been intimidating if it weren’t for the warm smile on her face. She wore a matte-black bodysuit usually associated with netrunners, making her appear almost like a merc plotting the best way to get what exactly she wanted without you even noticing. Her head was closely shaved and encased in an advanced-looking BD wreath, so at home on her head that it seemed to be an extension of her being. “Hey, you must be V. Good to meet ya.” She stood and extended her hand to V. “Seen a lot of your work already. Preem shit.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you too, nova to finally meet you.” V shook the offered hand, her friendly persona going a long way to put her at ease. Judy couldn’t help her gaze from wandering over V’s suit-clad form while she was distracted talking to T-Bug. She made a damn fine sight, the suit somehow managing to simultaneously enhance her muscles and her curves in an incredibly distracting way. She felt slight guilt at thirsting after V when she just had such a moment of vulnerability, but in a way it only attracted Judy to her more that she reached for her in that moment and let her in so easily. She was used to shielding her own emotions constantly, so found it strangely brave that V seemed to be the complete opposite.

“So, ready to record this holo?” She tuned back into the conversation as V and T-Bug wrapped up their small talk and were getting down to business. Ignoring the part of her mind reminding her that she seemed to be spacing out a lot recently to think about the performer, she did her best impression of an encouraging smile in V’s direction.

T-Bug spent a couple of minutes calibrating the equipment to prepare for V’s shoot while Judy led her into the booth, giving her a quick explanation of how things worked. The booth was circular to create a 360-degree camera chamber which would capture her every movement, right down to her facial expression. She warned V that the lighting might be overwhelming in her suit due to the sheer amount of heat the bulbs kicked out, not that she had an ulterior motive for the warning at all. V whistled as she looked around, feeling a little thrill of excitement. Sure this wasn’t quite the major leagues yet but the kit available to work with at Lizzie’s was far more advanced than anything she’d used before. She felt the usual adrenalin rush begin to creep in that she always got when she was about to perform, though she could admit to herself that the idea of Judy’s eyes on her while she danced was also slightly intoxicating.

“Think you’re probably gonna want less clothes on for this.” Bug raised an eyebrow at V, endlessly amused by the fact that the woman had turned up to a smut BD dressed in full corpo attire. “But maybe we could start filmin’ with them on. What d’ya think?”

“Sure, I can do a strip tease. Piece of cake.” V’s confidence was back in full form and Judy felt her insides clench involuntarily as a low heat began to burn through her. _Shit. She hasn’t even started doing her thing yet._ Judy wasn’t sure she would be able to function once V got started. While she was internally wrestling herself under control, V had taken her place in the recording booth while T-Bug got the cameras up and running. Slipping a chip into her port, she would be able to control the camera angles more precisely and ensure that the holo was the best it could be.

********

V closed her eyes and took a breath, letting the music fill her senses and flood her body, slowly starting to sway in time until she was perfectly synched up to the beat. Once she was moving automatically her movements became more sensual, hips rotating and hands tracing down her body purposefully as her eyes briefly connected with Judy’s. She ran a hand through her hair and began to slowly unbutton her blazer, throwing her head back and letting it slide down her arms before throwing it off to the side in Judy’s direction. The poor techie barely had a moment to register the garment flying at her before she caught it, absentmindedly folding it into a pile on the chair beside her. She needed something to occupy her hands in that moment anyway, since V’s next garment to come off was her shirt. She was revealing her bronze skin inch by inch, a laced purple bra barely concealing her breasts; Judy wondered if she was staring as much as she worried she was but couldn’t tear her eyes away. V threw her shirt at Judy with a wink, biting her lip as she held her eye, hands now dancing up from her hips and skating along her ribs, highlighting a hint of abs, hips beginning to gyrate. Next came her belt and pants, and Judy forgot how to breathe as V gradually unwound the belt from her waist and gave it a firm crack, the sound echoing through the room. V looked more confident wearing nothing but her underwear than Judy had ever seen her. Finally, she threw her bra at Judy, leaving her in just a skimpy thong, showing off her toned, perfect ass. Her skin was beginning to glisten now, sweat clinging to it under the heat of the studio lights. It only emphasised her body, working to highlight the flat, muscled plains of her stomach and generous curves of her breasts, topped with dusty pink nipples.

Judy took a step back, finding her legs suddenly becoming weak and needing something to hold her up. To her dismay, she had misjudged the distance between her and the cabinet behind and stumbled backwards, barely catching herself and praying that neither V nor T-Bug had noticed. Cheeks darkening with a blush, her gaze inevitably returned to V’s bare form as her dancing became downright filthy, dropping down to the floor as her hands caressed her body and danced along her thighs, moving tantalisingly closer to her centre. Then her hands were running through the short strands of her hair again, eyes lidded as they gazed directly at Judy. Or at least it seemed that way, though Judy was sure she was simply making sure to maintain eye contact with the central camera to maximise the impact of her performance. By this point, she was so uncomfortably wet that she actually felt relief when T-Bug called time on the performance.

********

“Alright, I think that’s a wrap. Nice work, Suze will be happy with that.” T-Bug, ever the professional, was completely unfazed by the scene they had just witnessed, already preparing to go through the footage and edit it into the montage loop it would become.

Judy snapped out of her daze as V approached her. She didn’t know where to look, so just went straight for the safest option, her eyes.

“You killed that performance, V! Best promo shoot Lizzie’s has seen in a while. Uh, don’t tell Evie I said that.” Judy swore she saw V blush but chalked it up to the heat from the lights and the energy demand from her performance.

“Thanks Jude! At least you’ve seen me perform live, not a privilege most people get.” V winked, all confidence and smooth smiles before she became sheepish, a hand coming up to rub the shaved back of her head. “Could I have my clothes back now, please?” Judy wanted nothing more than to refuse but that would have been a little too forward, never mind awkward with Bug still present.

“Of course, here.” She handed V her clothes back which she put back on hastily, Judy turned her back to give her some privacy like the visual of V’s naked, glistening body wasn’t now imprinted in her memory forever.

“Well I better get back upstairs; clients won’t serve themselves. Thanks for the help, Bug, Judy.” V gave the two a little salute and spun on her heel, heading back up with a slight bounce in her step.

“Till the next time.” Bug was already distracted with editing V’s promo, wanting to get it finished and out to their customers as soon as possible. Judy and Bug were now alone in the studio and she was finally able to calm her racing heart, preparing herself for her own clients that evening before T-Bug’s next words sent her mind back into overdrive.

“Any conflicts of interest in this project that I need to know about, Judy? Cause from where I was standin’, looked like you couldn’t keep your eyes off her.” T-Bug spun round on her chair to face Judy with a smirk.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about. Was just makin’ sure you didn’t mess nothin’ up, that’s all.” Judy shrugged off T-Bug’s words, avoiding her amused gaze by suddenly becoming very interested in her BD wreath, fiddling with it in her hands.

“Mhmm… Sure. ‘Cause you’re the professional in this basement.” Bug’s tone was laced with sarcasm. “Talk to me again when you wanna stop lyin’ to yourself. Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”

“Aristotle?” Judy had been working with T-Bug long enough to be more than familiar with her habit of quoting her favourite philosopher.

“The one and only.”

* * *

V had tried repeatedly to get in contact with Meredith. She buzzed her holo multiple times on the way home and had sent her multiple messages throughout her shift, all of which were ignored. It was now the next afternoon, her only day off for the whole week, and here she was sat alone in the apartment waiting for the woman who’d duped her. She was going to kill that bitch. A thought crossed V’s mind. What if it had all been a scam? What if all of Meredith’s stuff was gone? What if her real name wasn’t even Meredith and she was just some tall blonde con artist? V’s racing thoughts calmed slightly as she opened Meredith’s bedroom door and found everything still in its right place. All she had to do now was wait. It was only a matter of time before she would have to come home and face her.

She didn’t know when she fell asleep on the couch, but the sound of the apartment door sliding shut woke up from her nap. Meredith carried her heels in hand, trying to pad silently to her bedroom. V sat up from the couch, glaring at the woman across the room.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” V spat fire. Meredith’s steps faltered in shock, but she still tried to act nonchalant. Nevertheless, she turned to face V with a taken-aback look in her eyes; she had never spoken to her that way before.

“Going to bed, what does it look like? Who pissed on your shoes?” She tried to play it off with her usual cutting comments, but V wasn’t going to be put off this time.

“You did when you stole my eddies! You fuckin’ robbed me and have the nerve to show up here actin’ like nothing’s wrong!” She was out of her seat and striding closer to Meredith before she was even aware, pointing a finger in her direction.

“That wasn’t theft, that was an investment. Besides, you needed some decent clothes for a change. Can’t have you prancing about in rags. Why are you mad?”

V saw red. “You took my eddies without even askin’ to buy yourself a god damn suit! I want my eddies back. Now. Take your shitty suit and shove it up your ass!”

An amused smile crossed Meredith’s lips, further encouraging V’s fury. “You already have your money back, with interest. I’m not a thief, V, it was just a small loan.” Realising that V was still furious and she wouldn’t be able to talk her way out of this one, Meredith frowned and tried again. She steered them both back to the couch and put a hand on V’s knee, seemingly apologetic for the first time. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I just wanted to surprise you.”

V’s eyes glowed blue as she logged into her bank account, not ready to just blindly trust Meredith’s words when the sting of betrayal was still fresh _. +75,000 eurodollars from Ms. M. Stout._ V unfurled her fists and felt some of the tension leave her body. _Thank fuck._

“Don’t pull that shit on me ever again.” V clicked out of her holo and focused back on the woman beside her, not ready to let it drop just yet. “Can you afford to buy me the suit _and_ that hefty tip?”

Meredith smirked. She had been waiting for this question. “Closed the deal with Militech. _And_ they liked me so much they offered me a shit-tonne of eddies to go work for them, isn’t that fuckin’ great? I start on Monday. No thanks to you though, I’m going to have to punish you for abandoning me like that.” Her eyes darkened as she dragged her nails slowly along V’s thigh. “Or are you still mad at me? Because I can think of a few ways to work out all that anger.”

V had a lot of pent-up frustrations lingering from the last forty-eight hours, both anxious and sexual. She could really do with letting loose right now.

********

“I’m still pissed. But… Maybe we can work it out in the bedroom?” V exhaled softly as Meredith’s fingers had reached her centre, finger teasingly tracing over her clit through her underwear.

“That sounds more like it. Come.” Meredith was no longer apologetic, and V recognised the way her body seemed to tighten and straighten as she pulled V into the dim light of her room. She was ready to forget everything and let Meredith do what she wanted, anticipation already curling her toes and breathing becoming shallower. She was only wearing her underwear and a loose vest top and felt exposed compared to her partner, who was still clad in the suit that had caused her so much turmoil. All part of the power play Meredith liked to take advantage of.

V reached for Meredith’s jacket, trying to tug it from her shoulders. “Take it off. Please.” Within seconds she was spun around and bent over the foot of the bed, expecting it when Meredith slapped V’s ass in response, the sting spreading a pleasant warmth across her ass cheeks.

“I make the demands in here. You obey.” Meredith made quick work of V’s thong and top, discarding them in a pile on the floor as her hands kneaded V’s exposed skin, making her moan needily. “Get on the bed, all fours.” V obliged willingly, looking down and assuming the position with practiced ease. Her arms lay extended out in front of her, reaching out to each corner of the bed, breasts pressed into the textured fabric of Meredith’s bedsheets which dragged across her nipples deliciously.

“Good girl. Always so obedient.” She could hear the sounds of heavy clothes landing on the floor and a drawer opening and closing. V knew exactly which one. The drawer contained V’s favourite toy, a large tech strap-on with sensory input, meaning the wearer could feel everything as if it was an extension of their own flesh. V had fantasised a few times about what it would be like to experience the sensations from the other side, but that was always a hard ‘no’ from her current partner. Instead, V had to lay back and take whatever Meredith gave her, whether she came or not was ‘up to her’ as the corpo had reminded her multiple times. Moments later she was fully restrained, hands lashed to the bedposts and a blindfold over her eyes, heightening her senses and making her fidget as she waited, feeling her thighs coated with wetness. She wandered how hard she was going to get it today, making her clench in anticipation, her back arching as she tried to entice Meredith in quicker. V’s train of thought was interrupted by the feeling of warm silicone grazing her entrance. _At least she used lube this time._

Without warning, the dildo was fully sheathed inside her and V groaned from the sudden pain of the intrusion. “Fuck!” she yelped as Meredith pulled back slowly before slamming her hips into her ass again with an audible clap. The initial pain soon faded and she was gasping, pushing back against Meredith as much as she could with the steely grip of the corpo’s fingers wrapped around her hips, trying to hold her in place and force her to take every deep thrust.

“Mmm, you like that don’t you, feeling my thick cock filling you up?” V didn’t respond, too overwhelmed and hurtling towards her orgasm. A particularly brutal thrust drew a choking moan from her lips as Meredith curled her form over V’s body where it lay plastered against the bed, wicked lips ghosting over her ear before biting down on her earlobe. A demanding hand threaded into her short locks, slick with sweat, and jerked her head back, arching her spine and forcing her to take Meredith even deeper. “Don’t even _think_ about coming before I do.” She warned, pace picking up until she was slamming into her mercilessly, the slapping sounds filling the apartment. V was just thankful no one was home. Trying to distract herself from coming, knowing the hell that would rain down on her for disobeying a direct order from her mistress, she let her mind wander to work. Instead of calming her arousal however, it skyrocketed. Her thoughts wandered to her performance with Judy the previous day, how the techie had eyed her hungrily as she recorded her holo performance. She wondered how it would feel to have Judy as the one behind her, how she would perform as a lover. _Probably well-versed from all that smut._

That thought did it. V felt the pleasure building in her core, her muscles clenching around the dildo still pounding into her, and the image of Judy behind her had her thighs beginning to shake. She had been so wrapped up in her fantasy however, that she missed the tell-tale stutter in Meredith’s hips as she came, hot as the sounds were, V was left high-and-dry once again as Meredith pulled out and sauntered out of the room without a second glance to clean herself up. V wondered how long it would be before she was unbound this time, rubbing her legs together to try and relieve some tension and desperately trying to stop thinking about Judy; now it was torture. She hoped Meredith would be feeling generous enough to finally let her come later.

********

* * *

_Interlude: Two weeks later…_

He flopped back onto the bed of his booth with a sigh, thankful for the break he desperately needed to recover before the final client of the night. It had been an exhausting shift. His visitors had been rough and unforgiving; there only to take out personal stresses that came with living in this soulless city on willing bodies who wouldn't remember their darkest desires the next day. He was looking forward to the end of the night when the chip would erase these memories and he would be free again. Even then, his body would surely bear the signs of the night for the days to come. He made a note to speak to the Mox in the front-of-house on his way out, maybe get a few 'dorphs to help with recovering before tomorrow. Despite the occasional downsides that came with sex work in Night City, things had been on the up. Since the Moxes had started claiming more and more dollhouses as part of their operation, dolls and joytoys alike were given a true sense of safety for maybe the first time. Being able to go to work and actually feel safe and protected was a new feeling for them all; appreciation for the Moxes was strong for the sex workers in Night City.

His musings came to a sudden stop at the crackling sound of gunfire. The silence hung heavy for a few moments as he lay frozen. Then all hell broke loose. Screams filled the previously silent air and the building itself appeared to shake with terror. He scrambled to his feet and found his clothes in the hidden compartment of the booth; pulled on the thin shirt and tripping as his latex shorts were hastily tugged up shaking legs. Once dressed, he contemplated staying in his room. Out of sight, out of mind, right? The decision was made for him as more gunfire erupted in the booth next door, the sounds of the screams being cut viciously short. He fled out the door without a second glance, surprised his jelly-like legs were even holding him up as he took in the horrors beyond his room.

********

Bodies were strewn across the floor, and he felt his stomach drop as he looked at the glassy eyes of his co-workers, his protectors, his friends. At least some of the bodies belonged to the intruders; luminous Japanese font and fearsome tiger etchings on their skin giving them away. Another Tyger Claws attack on a Mox owned dollhouse; the second time this month. Reaching the front-of-house and feeling lucky to have made it this far, he made a break for the side door behind the control room. Locked. _Fuck._

The sound of approaching footsteps had him cowering behind a counter in the small room, eyes peering hesitantly up. A pack of gangbangers came through, katanas swinging carelessly in their hands while a few members hauled some of the surviving workers out into the street by the hair. It was pandemonium beyond the doors, people fleeing or in similar positions to him, cowering out of sight. The group moved beyond the doors, shoving their captives away with leering smiles. All except one Mox member, eyes wide with terror as she was held tightly by her jailer, hand in her hair baring her neck at a painful angle. He watched with growing horror as the surviving dolls were forced to witness the katana slice across her exposed neck as if it were made of paper. The onlooking dolls stumbled back and turned to flee, no longer frozen by the fear as they made their escape. A clear message had been communicated; they were only alive because the gang allowed them to be, to deliver a message to the leader of the Mox. The Tyger Claws were coming, and the Mox would be ended once and for all. With the members distracted cleaning their bloody blades on the clothes of fallen bodies, he crept out the door and made a break for by it running in the opposite direction. It was like an obstacle course of still bodies, pools of blood and severed limbs. It would take the brass hours to bother to come and clean up the streets; people didn't care about dolls. They were more objects than people. Dread and misery weighing heavily on him, he pushed his last reserves of energy and began to sprint away towards the closest side alley, praying he was going in the direction of Lizzie's bar, the last remaining safe haven. 

He was just rounding the corner, about to leave the horrific sights behind him once and for all when he stumbled and looked down. A pair of jagged, black mantis blades pierced through him, already shining with his blood. His body fell to the floor as they were ripped out of his back indifferently, his attacker turning away as the life seeped out of him.

******  
**

* * *

“Can’t believe the nerve of those fuckin’ Claws, dunno how you can stand being around ‘em all the time.” Judy growled in frustration, pacing pack and forth across the living room floor. She was in shock, but she was quickly becoming overwhelmed by fury. Her output lounged on the couch behind her checking her emails, seemingly unphased by the news that the Mox had lost one of its dollhouses to the Tyger Claws in such a savage attack.

“What, you think I have a choice? The Claws protect me and our girls, Clouds wouldn’t be safe without ‘em.” Maiko didn’t bother looking up from her datapad.

“Be safer in the hands of the Moxes, that’s for sure.” Judy continued to pace, emotions now flipping between anger and devastation. All those lives lost… Not only had nearly an entire dollhouse’s worth of workers been wiped out, but the Mox had lost a handful of members too. They had been formed to protect their own, specifically against the violence of the Tyger Claws, and they had failed. Those that had managed to flee had made it back to Lizzie’s utterly traumatised; and for good reason, considering the story they had told.

“Evidently not, look at the mess they’ve made downtown. Painting the walls with those dolls’ blood. Do you want that to happen to me? To you? Didn’t think so.” Maiko threw her datapad to the side with a huff, beginning to become frustrated with Judy’s mood. She just didn’t understand, never had understood why Judy was so passionate about what the Mox stood for.

“If more people would join us then we’d be able to fight back! You could help us, we could take Clouds right from under their noses.” The Claws had been escalating their conflict with the Mox recently, but this was the first attack of such direct viciousness. The fact they had sent a message with the only surviving workers terrified Judy. She already felt a sense of loss from those who had died, but what scared her more was losing someone closer to home. She had really only just gained these relationships; she could _not_ lose them.

“The only thing you’d take is a bullet to the brain. The safest thing would be for you to come back to Clouds, Judy. Fuck the Mox. They’re gonna get burned up in all of this and you need to get out while you still can. Woodman would take you back, I know it.” Maiko spoke bluntly, approaching Judy and trying to take her hands. Judy took a step back, too angsty to be held.

“I’m not going back there and you shouldn’t either.” She snapped, eyes flashing fire as she glared at her output, belatedly realising she was pushing her patience. She wouldn’t take it back though, not this time. They had danced around this issue for too long but the attack had escalated things.

“Don’t tell me what to do. Look what they’ve already done to you. They broke your hand which may I remind you, was paid for out of _my_ pocket. Who knows what else they could have done to you?” Maiko tried again, trying to be sympathetic as she raised a hand and cupped Judy’s cheek; instead she recoiled, folding her arms tightly. She was too worked up to fall for Maiko’s games.

“What should I have done instead, ripped it off? Flatline in some back alley? You’d probably love that. Can’t believe I fell for that fake ‘oh Judy, I was up all night so worried’ act.” Judy ranted as she turned her back on her output, shoulders tensed. Maiko was furious. She grabbed a nearby vase and flung it on the floor between them, where it smashed into fractured shards barely missing Judy’s legs.

“You’re out of line. Fuck off back to your whores and out of my sight.” Maiko hissed, beginning to advance on Judy with cold intention.

In that moment Judy’s phone buzzed, and when she saw the name on her screen it brought a smile to her face reflexively. Maiko halted, confused by the sudden change that had come over her previously aggravated output.

_V: Heeey Jude, was thinkin bout grabbin a drink at the bar after work tonight. You in? :)_

“Who the fuck is that? Tell me. Now.” Maiko was suddenly in front of her and Judy flinched away, stomach dropping before she straightened up and set her shoulders back defiantly. She was done with Maiko’s shit today. Still, she didn’t want to cause any more tension than what they’d had already, knew that if she pushed her any further she would regret it.

“Relax, It’s V from work. She was just asking if I could cover her shift tonight.”

“ _That_ V? The goddamn smut performer? Don’t lie to me, no one smiles at a message asking them to do extra work.” Maiko backed Judy into a corner near the door, “You’re mine, don’t ever forget that. What did she say?”

“I’m not lying, she’s just a friend. Mox helpin’ Mox. That’s it.” Judy fought to keep her voice steady but met Maiko’s gaze head on. Maiko narrowed her eyes, studying her expression carefully. She must have passed Maiko’s lie detector test as she backed up and turned on her heel, making her way to their office.

“Just go. I don’t want to see you right now.”

* * *

_Two weeks later…_

Jackie and Evelyn were waiting impatiently outside Lizzie’s. Rita was still on shift, though it was still early so customers were few and far between. They were joined by an additional two Moxes closer to the perimeter of the bar’s parking lot, cybernetics scanning the streets vigilantly. They were all on high alert after the attack on the dollhouse a few weeks ago, especially since the Tyger Claws activity had been suspiciously quiet ever since. Everyone knew that things weren’t over though, not after such a threatening message had been sent. Dolls were still scared, many rarely leaving Lizzie’s now even when they weren’t on shift.

“What’s taking them so long? They were supposed to be out here ages ago.” Evelyn tapped her foot impatiently, a cigarette perched daintily between her lips as she puffed away her stress after a long shift. Jackie and Rita grinned at each other, sharing the same thought.

“Probably havin’ a quicky in the basement.” Rita teased. The trio had been gossiping about the chemistry between V and Judy for nearly a month now, and even though Evelyn liked to pretend she wasn’t interested, she also made sure to join the two bouncers for similar chats a few times a week.

“Heh, we’d be waiting waaay longer if that was the case. V’s got stamina. Makes for one annoying houseguest.” Jackie chimed in on the teasing, his loud laughter filling the evening air and making his two companions grin. He had quickly grown on all the staff working at Lizzie’s thanks to his infectious personality, though he had built an especially close bond with these two women. They made a strange group, that was for sure.

Evelyn rolled her eyes. Her initial impressions of V were awful, she saw her as nothing but a rival and a threat to her own dreams. Here was a woman her age, in the same industry, who didn’t seem to be working as hard yet was quickly reaching her level of renown. However, when she saw how quickly she sprang into action to rescue her, a complete stranger, and then her concern for Judy’s broken wrist, she had been forced to reconsider her snap judgement. Sure, she was still a threat in a competitive work-related sense, but she didn’t see her as the bitch she initially had judged her for. She would never admit that though. Not to Jackie or Judy and _definitely_ not to V.

“I’ve had more deets about V’s sex life from you than any of her BDs, Jackie. Seems like you might be a little infatuated yourself.” She chose to tease the Hispanic man instead, satisfaction filling her expression at Jackie’s disgusted squirming.

Jackie dry heaved, pretending to vomit in the corner. “That’s mi hermana, Evie! You can’t joke about that, it’s gross. Besides, I have an output and you know V likes to uh… feed the cat.” There he went, spilling about V’s sex life yet again.

“Men truly are disgusting.” Evelyn sighed.

“Hey guys, you ready to get wasted?” V appeared in the doorway, with Judy in tow. She wore an oversized white blazer that extended to mid-thigh with a dark purple mesh top underneath. Her legs were bare and on show and feet encased in heeled boots which gave her a bigger boost than normal over the small techie beside her. Judy was dressed in figure-hugging, black leather booty shorts and a matching black halter top, bold makeup making her eyes stand out alluringly. Together the two contrasted each other completely, so much so that it almost seemed coordinated. The trio waiting at the door made variously failing attempts to hide their amusement at the hopeless display in front of them.

“About time! I’m so damn thirsty, my mouth is drier than a Badlands sinkhole.” Jackie laughed. “Adiós Rita, have a good shift. I’m leaving lil’ Jaquita here, take care of her for me.” He left his bat with the amused Mox, who watched the foursome leave with a fond smile on her face.

“Suck my dick, Welles!” Rita called after them, waving goodbye with her trusty bat.

The group arrived at Dandelion Cocktails in Heywood, laughing and telling stories about weird clients they’d seen that day. Judy went on a rant about her second-to-last client, who kept being handsy by constantly trying to touch her ears, completely freaking her out. Feeling slightly protective and wanting to take her mind off it, V in turn shared her weirdest client of the day; or should she say clients? She still wasn’t sure. A man had come to her claiming to be one man in two bodies, wanting to enjoy her performance ‘from all angles’. At the end of it, he’d even had the nerve to ask her if she wanted to be shared between his two bodies and become his girlfriend. Jackie had found this hilarious; V hadn’t showed an ounce of interest in a man for as long as he’d known her, though she usually found it easy to disconnect her own sexuality from her job.

They soon arrived at the bar, and V turned to her companions. “What are y’all drinking? I’m buying.” V grinned. “Had a preem pay check from Lizzie’s.”

“I don’t need you to buy me a drink. You may think you’re popular but it’s just cause you’re the fresh meat. _My_ client list has been stable for years.” Evelyn immediately snarked back, arms crossed defensively. Luckily V had got used to her attitude, had figured that this was actually her way of showing affection.

“Shut up and take the free drink, Ev.” Judy punched her arm lightly with a roll of her eyes. Her injured hand was well on the mend after the rest it had had in the cast over the last few weeks, but still wasn’t quite back to full strength. In that time she had become quite proficient in _many_ things with her other hand, however.

“Twelve shots of Centzon please!” V gave the bartender an easy smile as she leant on the bar, watching as she almost-perfectly poured the tequila into each of the twelve shot glasses in a singular stream. Judy had been drawn into a conversation with Evelyn, but quickly became distracted watching V flirt with the bartender as they waited for their drinks, the confident smirk on her face enough to charm anyone; it was certainly working on the woman behind the bar.

“Okay three shots each, let’s get this party started!” Jackie’s voice bellowed through the loud bar and Judy was relieved at the interruption to her thoughts, which seemed to be veering dangerously close to jealousy. Jackie was already downing all three shots in quick succession, V matching his pace after years of practice celebrating in this fashion with her choom. Judy finished third, not one to be shown up while Evelyn was last to drain her drinks, after reluctantly accepting that V was paying for them.

The group located a free booth in the corner of the room, not too far from the bar but still out of the way and reasonably private. Evelyn reached out and gripped Jackie’s arm briefly, forcing him to hang back so V and Judy slipped into the booth first opposite each other and then beside them sat Jackie and Evelyn, respectively. The conversation was light with more gossip about the latest drama from Lizzie’s, both workers and customers, and who was featured in the screamsheets the most this week (spoiler alert, it was Evelyn, further inflating her ego).

The combination of a long workday and three consecutive shots meant that all members of the group were soon feeling the effects of the alcohol. Evelyn stopped making snippy comments to V, instead focusing on different subjects she could bring up to embarrass Judy and nudge her closer to their new co-worker and away from her terrible output. Her and Jackie had been scheming about this while they waited for V and Judy to finish their shift and worked perfectly in synchrony to enact their plan. For every embarrassing story she told about Judy, Jackie had a similar one to share about V. The two friends were clearly annoyed by the betrayal but it worked perfectly in uniting them against the tag team attack. Evelyn watched with satisfaction as V and Judy exchanged whispers and shy smiles, and she had certainly clocked their feet playing footsie under the table; V had caught Evelyn’s own feet a few times, much to her horror. _If we keep this up, they’ll be fucking by the end of the week_. She shot Jackie a look of victory the next time the two hopeless idiots lost themselves in each other, directing his attention under the table where their feet were tangled together intimately.

Several drinks later, Judy was ranting to the group about her gonk output, beer bottle in hand as her other waved about expressively, her frustration obvious. The alcohol had loosened her tongue and lowered her barriers just enough to make talking about Maiko that much easier.

“I haven’t seen her for more than ten minutes at a time since… forever! She’s always stayin’ late at work, claims she has some kinda big ‘important meeting’ after work every day. What fuckin’ meeting takes that long?” she slammed her now-empty bottle down on the table and reached for another, cracking it open and taking another furious gulp.

“I’ve been telling you for years Judy, Maiko is a piece of shit and you deserve better.” Evelyn poked Judy’s chest lightly, comically serious for a moment even though her eyes remained unfocused. “Pretty sure there was somethin’ up with your hand before you punched that Claw…” She trailed off as she realised her mistake when she saw Judy’s eyes flash briefly with confusion and anger. Committed to her choice now, Evelyn bit her lip, waiting for V’s reaction.

“What d’ya mean? Did she… hurt you?” V’s brow wrinkled with genuine worry, chrome fingers clenching around the neck of her bottle in dismay. Judy sighed, trying to force down the sudden feeling of vulnerability that came with everyone’s eyes suddenly on her.

“It wasn’t like that. Seriously Evelyn, why gotta you bring that up now?” She couldn’t believe the way her supposed closest friend had just let one of her biggest secrets slip, even if it was to V who she was growing to trust deeply already. She knew she meant well, had always worried about her and her relationship with Maiko, but still. She didn’t need that look of pity in someone else’s eyes. But now it was too late.

“Well, V and Jackie both know how to make people disappear so I just thought –” Evelyn was on a roll, the alcohol making her even more blunt that she would be usually as Judy choked on her beer, shooting the performer an incredulous look. Make Maiko _disappear_? Was that seriously something she thought about?

“What a coño! Kinda reminds me of someone else…” V shot Jackie a pleading look to not give her up right now, it wasn’t the time. Not when Judy was already vulnerable. Jackie was almost equally as protective as V, he had come to care for the workers at Lizzie’s like a second family, but especially the small, angry Latina girl who reminded him a lot of his loved ones at home in Heywood. That insistence on independence was more than familiar to him. Plus, with his choom so enamoured with the girl, he was sure they would only see more and more of each other in the months to come.

“Shut it, Ev. I need a smoke, lemme out please.” Judy tried to act unbothered but V could see the hurt behind her eyes. It wasn’t nice to just be outed like that, no matter what the intention had been.

“I’ll come with you.” V was already shuffling past Jackie and hastily followed Judy out to the smoking area behind the bar, leaving a very sheepish and guilty-looking Evelyn behind at the booth.

“Jude, hold up. Damn you’re quick. What’s up?”

“M’sorry V. I just needed to get outta there. Dunno why Evie had to put a downer on this night.” Judy sighed as she leant back against the rough bricks behind her, tipping her head back and taking a few breaths of the crisp air; allowing it to cool her ire.

“It doesn’t have to be that way; we can still have fun. She just worries about you, she loves you a lot, I can see that.” V smiled and took a sip of her beer, wisely knowing not to bring up what had been revealed. She would let Judy bring it up in her own time, if she wanted to. Instead she offered her bottle to Judy, who took it gratefully and had a long swig. Judy placed a cigarette between her lips and started patting her jacket with a groan.

“I know, she just pisses me off sometimes. Hey, you got a light?”. V pulled a lighter from her blazer pocket, the one she carried with her always in case someone needed it. She stepped closer to Judy, using her body to shield the flame from the wind as she lit Judy’s cigarette with a practiced ease, locking eyes with her as she did. _Well, that was a turn on._

“…Thanks.” Judy took a long drag, exhaling away from V. “Thought you didn’t smoke?” She asked in an attempt to change the subject and distract herself from the flood of warmth pooling in her stomach thanks to the woman opposite from her.

“Eh, only when I’m drunk or after sex.” V winked and Judy choked on the smoke hitting her lungs.

“In that case, here, take it.” Judy coughed as she passed the cig to V who took a few drags. Just when she thought the irresistible performer couldn’t get any more attractive.

“Sounds like you might need a new pair of synthlungs. I know a great ripper.”

“Fuck off.” Judy grinned and took the cig back, her melancholy mood quickly lifting.

_Two hours later…_

“Miiiisty, do Judy next pleeeeease? For me?” Jackie grinned at his output, making a kissy face from across the room where he clumsily poured himself yet another shot of tequila, even though he’d definitely had more than enough already.

“Okay, okay come here Judy. I need to read your energies.” Misty was more than used to her man’s ridiculous behaviour and took it in stride with her usual appeasing way, holding Judy’s hand briefly before smiling. “I hear you loud and clear. Let’s see what the cards say.” Misty shuffled the deck and flipped the first card. “The Lovers reversed, you are surrounded by a force that will challenge you. You will also come into conflict with another inner force.” She was met with a chorus of ‘oooohs’ from the gonks in the room, all in various states of intoxication. V and Evelyn were actually leant on each other arm in arm, much to Judy’s continuing amusement. She had sneakily snapped a still of them earlier. “The Wheel of Fortune, the danger is greater than you think. It will come suddenly and without warning. Conflict is unavoidable.” Misty drew the final card for Judy’s reading with a gentle slap on the table. “The High Priestess, do not seek simple answers. Be open to your intuition, your subconscious, your dreams.”

“That’s soooooo deep!” Judy swayed drunkenly as she looked deep in thought, pondering the cards before her. “Thanks Misty!”

“Come back any time, I’d love to see you all again.” Misty was so charming and bright, it was clear to see why Jackie was so in love with her. They made a strange combination and yet balanced each other out perfectly. “But I think you’ve all maybe had a little too much to drink, I’m calling you a Delamain.”

“Why you always gotta be so responsible, girl?” V tripped over her own feet as she stood up to stretch. “But thanks, I guess it is late.”

Jackie decided to stay and help Misty lock up before walking her home. Evelyn couldn’t resist making a joke about how that wasn’t all he wanted to do. That left the three girls to take the Delamain cab once it arrived.

“That was a real fun night, you ain’t so bad when you’re drunk.” Evelyn hiccupped and jabbed V in the arm. That was probably the closest to a compliment she would ever get. “We should do this again some time.”

“Definitely, I’d love that.” The cab pulled up outside Evelyn’s apartment block and announced their arrival. She leant forward and clumsily kissed both women left in the car on the cheek before getting out, a little unsteady on her heels.

“Me too. See ya later, Ev.” Judy waved her friend off, though V insisted on waiting until they had seen Evelyn actually enter her building before letting the taxi pull away. The next programmed stop was V’s apartment, much to her growing disappointment.

“So… you ready for this night to end?” Judy’s voice cut through the stuffy air, slightly seductive in its tone, making V shiver unconsciously. She was more than happy to agree, feeling like she was on cloud nine that Judy had just voiced her thoughts, not wanting this night to end just yet either.

“Hell no. My apartment is empty if you wanna bring the party back there? I restocked the drinks cabinet last night.” Judy contemplated for no longer than a few seconds before agreeing, accepting whatever consequences would come with Maiko later. In that moment, pressed against V in the darkened back of the taxi, she couldn’t bring herself to care.

Not long after, the pair entered V’s apartment. Judy found the moment strangely intimate. V was letting her into her private space, they were now truly crossing that line drawn between simple co-workers and friends. She let the latter word echo in her head as a reminder while she took in the apartment. _Friends, nothing more_. The apartment was shrouded in darkness, the only light available streaming in through the window from the neon lights of Kabuki. It was a fairly tidy apartment but it still looked lived in, filled with lights. A few digital pictures occupied the coffee table and a shelf by the door, making Judy smile softly as she took in the sight of V and Jackie through the years with various people: a warm, middle-aged woman with a kind smile stood in the middle of one, each of her arms wrapped around the pair of friends; a group of boys and men of varying ages all stood looking tough, with the exception of Jackie in the middle surely cracking some sort of joke with V, stood off to the side; a single, slightly blurred image of what looked like a very young V in the arms of a serious-looking woman dressed in a suit. With a brief glance, Judy felt more welcome in this apartment than she ever had in Maiko’s pristine, clinical high rise.

“Where’s your other housemate?” Judy enquired, taking note of the three bedroom doors. She had never heard mention of a third person from either V or Jackie, piquing her curiosity.

“She won’t be home tonight. Beer?” V brushed it off as she made her way to the open-plan kitchen, flicking a lamp on as she went which cast a soft glow on the room. Judy nodded to the question, hoping another drink would take the edge off her suddenly nervous mood and V passed one to her, their hands grazing slightly as she did. Looking for something to distract her from the rising heat she was feeling, Judy cast her eyes about the apartment some more and noticed the acoustic guitar in the corner of the room near the TV.

“Can you play?” She gestured to the guitar. V nodded after a moment of hesitation and Judy grinned. “Play something for me? Pretty please?” V blushed and scratched her neck nervously.

“I’m probably not gonna be any good when I’m this drunk…” Judy’s puppy eyes were killing her though and she groaned in frustration as she picked up the guitar, throwing the strap over her head. “Don’t laugh if it’s bad okay?” Judy nodded eagerly and V sat close to her on the couch, playing a few notes and checking the guitar was in tune.

She began to fingerpick the chords to an acoustic version of Samurai’s ‘Never Fade Away’, one of the few songs she knew inside out and was confident enough not to fuck up in front of her audience. The rhythm was a lot slower than the original, and though V missed the occasional note in her drunken stupor, Judy couldn’t tell. She was completely captivated, especially when V began to softly sing along slightly off-key, her voice rough from the cigarettes and alcohol she had consumed. The husk it added to her voice was unfairly attractive, Judy actually felt a sense of loss when the song came to an end.

“That was incredible, you can really play that axe and who knew you were a singer?” V was flushed, maybe from the alcohol but definitely from the attention. She was embarrassed by the fact that she had just serenaded the Mox in what was feeling like an increasingly romantic atmosphere thanks to the peaceful silence of the night and the low lighting in the apartment.

“If you wanna hear more, you’ll have to catch me in the shower.” V tried to deflect with a joke (or was it flirting?) but she became suddenly very distracted by the sight of Judy biting her bottom lip, staring at V’s lips. She suddenly wished the guitar wasn’t between them. “So uh… you wanna watch a movie or something?” V stood abruptly, needing a distraction before she did something she might regret, and returned the guitar to its stand, turning on the flat screen.

Judy looked slightly disappointed, taking a long swig of her beer and looking down. “Sure. Anything you want.” V turned on the movie Bushido X, it was one of her favourites and she hoped Judy would like it too. V returned to the couch, resting her arm on the back behind Judy after a moment of hesitation. She didn’t couldn’t believe her luck when Judy snuggled closer into her, resting her head on V’s shoulder.

“Y’know, this night was so perfect in so many ways.” Judy looked up at V who was doing her best to remain calm. “I really needed it, thank you.” V couldn’t process what was happening until after it happened. Judy placed a soft kiss on her cheek before snuggling further into her chest, letting out a soft sigh of contentment. Even though they didn’t move or talk for the duration of the movie, V could feel her own heartbeat thudding and hoped Judy couldn’t hear it too. By the end, the pair had fallen asleep in a lazy half-spoon on the couch.


	5. Fractures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From one juncture to another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !TW! Marked between the **** both are brief scenes but we wanted to highlight them just in case.  
> First one is smut with some references to past abuse.  
> Second is physical abuse.

It had been two weeks since her night out with Judy, Evelyn and Jackie. Two weeks since she had woken on the couch with a raging hangover wrapped around the techie. The memory of having Judy’s body pressed so closely against her front was seared in her mind forever. Since then however, V had barely heard from her. She had left swiftly that morning with a nervous aura about her, just about staying long enough to say goodbye before she was fleeing out the door. V suspected it would be related to her controlling output. At work, Judy was pleasant and professional with her but often dismissive, almost as if she were trying to avoid her entirely. When V messaged her to check in, it often took hours, sometimes days for her to receive a response; the replies were usually vague with no details of how she was or what she had been up to. What V felt about that night had slowly turned into a disappointing memory, concluding that Judy's feelings were simply more platonic than V had started to believe. She just hoped she hadn’t made her uncomfortable. It didn't stop the techie from occupying her thoughts, as much as she tried to steer clear of them.

She had arrived home late from an exhausting shift; the holo performance she had recorded had created a sudden surge in her customer base, meaning that she rarely had time to do much else besides perform. Just when she had been ready to fall into bed, Meredith had emerged from her room and with one look had V following her back to bed, eager to work off her frustrations from the day and stop thinking for a while. Specifically, stop thinking about a certain Mox. Maybe it wasn’t the best of coping mechanisms, but it took her out of her head for a while and sometimes even allowed her some release. A message woke her early that morning. She huffed at the intrusion to her sleep, but her heart soon skipped a beat when she saw who it was from.

_Judy Alvarez: Hey V... sorry I've been MIA. Past few weeks have been difficult. 'member when you said you'd teach me how to shoot? It's my day off and I was wonderin' if you had some time to make good on that?_

V felt a familiar, warm flutter in her stomach. She hadn't forgotten about her promise to Judy but she didn't know when her wrist would be healed enough to learn how to shoot; or when she'd be able to spend time with V again. She guessed that the request didn't come at this time for no reason and felt her protective instincts kick in, Evelyn's words from their night out still lingered in her mind. The idea of anyone laying a hand on Judy had V simmering with anger. She hoped that Judy would start prioritising her own safety; this seemed like a step in the right direction.

_V: Always got time for you. Meet me at Second Amendment in Megabuilding H10, does this afternoon work for you? I'm working tonight_

This would be good. The shooting range was a neutral ground for them to meet. It didn’t have the intimacy of meeting in her apartment again, still filled with the memories of their night together, nor did it have the sexually charged energy of Lizzie’s. Besides, they would be shooting guns to practice self-defence. Surely that couldn’t be sexualised, even by her.

_Judy Alvarez: Nova, see you later_

* * *

Judy pressed the button in the elevator to the 7th floor marked ‘services’. The last few weeks had been difficult with Maiko, her output had given her hell for the night she had spent at V's apartment. Mixed with her own conflicting feelings about the night in question, Judy had fixated on the events for the next few days. Then, laced with guilt, Judy tried to put some distance between herself and V for the sake of her relationship and theirs. Judy had never thought of herself as unfaithful, yes she had worked in the sex industry for a long time now and some of her previous lovers had difficulty understanding the separation between work and romance, however this was never an issue in her relationship with Maiko. They met through their involvement with the industry and yet, it didn't stop Maiko from having an unnervingly possessive and jealous streak when she fixated on other people in Judy's life. First it had been Evelyn, now it was V. She hacked Judy’s messages and warned her about getting too close to the BD performer, threatening to leave her if she didn't listen. Judy was reminded again where she would be without Maiko ( _nowhere_ ) and it was enough to make her scared. So she obeyed and tried to distance herself from V, but found it more difficult every time she saw the sad look in her eyes when she was brushed aside. It didn’t matter that she was trying to do what was best, knowing she caused that hurt look was causing her so much turmoil. But today was Judy's day off and Maiko was working late, so she wanted to attempt to rekindle their friendship. V at least deserved that much. Now her hand had fully healed, she needed to learn how to defend herself properly following the horrific Tyger Claw attack the month before; who knew when they would strike next, or who their target would be. She refused to be in another situation where she was helpless and had to sit back as others dealt with the problem for her.

Judy checked the clock, seeing it was just before 1pm. She felt a nervous twinge in her stomach, as her hands clenched and unclenched a few times. She hadn't been alone with V since _that_ night. _And what a wonderful night it was._ Mentally scolding herself for already falling into the trap of obsessing over that night, she exited the elevator and headed to the range where she saw V's toned frame chatting to the guy behind the counter. She was admiring a gun with pink accents, examining it carefully and nodding as she spoke to the shop owner. Her eyes lit up with the cybernetic glow and she thanked the man as she holstered the pistol.

"Hey, V. Been a while." Judy announced her presence. V jumped at the sound, turning to face her with a warm smile. She looked so glad to see Judy, and the Mox felt another flush of guilt at her treatment. V had been nothing but good to her this whole time, despite the way she was blowing hot and cold with her constantly.

"Oh hey Jude, good to see you. How's things?" Judy's smile faltered at the question. She wanted to come clean with V about the reasons for her absence but she was unsure what to say and this certainly wasn’t the place to bring it up.

"Not too great but all the better for seein' you, I'll take that as a win." She tried to lighten the mood without lying to V and was relieved when the performer simply grinned in response. How Judy had missed that smile. V had a knack for sensing what she needed in any given moment, knowing exactly when to push and when to let things go.

"So, you ready for some target practice? I got a little something for you, recommended by my guy Wilson. He runs this place." V pulled the pink pistol out from the holster and handed it to Judy. "Arasaka's HJKE-11 Yukimura smart pistol. Perfect for beginners, it has automatic target locking so you literally just have to point and shoot."

Judy examined the gun, finding that it fit her hand perfectly.

"Sounds preem, I can't wait to try it out! Thanks so much V, how much do I owe you?"

"First one's free, next one'll cost ya though." She winked and Judy immediately felt a flash of heat curling in her stomach. _Shit. Not even been talkin’ five minutes_.

"Come on, let's give it a try." V led Judy to the shooting range and they took the station at the end of the row, in the corner. They were in a booth which was probably intended for only one person. Beyond the aiming window lay a long stretch of empty space, dotted with targets both still and moving. Judy spent a few minutes watching the other customers trying out various guns, some clearly well accomplished; she figured it would be a while before she was at that level. She was relieved to see she wasn’t the only beginner though; there were a handful of others shooting with simple handguns like hers. Luckily the floor of the booth was filled with ammo, so even if she took a while to get into it hopefully she wouldn’t run out.

"Alright lemme just show you the basics. Here's the safety switch, very important. Never aim at somethin' you don't wanna kill without having this on. And this switch alternates between firing modes, there's three-round burst and automatic firing. You'll get the idea of how they're different once you give it a try. You with me?" V smiled and Judy nodded enthusiastically, already very eager to fire her first shot. She was even more captivated by the cool confidence in V, clearly used to the feel of a gun in her hand. "Let's start simple, hit the target." V pressed a switch on the booth and a human-shaped target popped up from the ground in front of them about ten feet away, though it was evident that it would move if programmed to do so.

Judy flicked the safety off as V had demonstrated and decided to try the automatic firing mode first. Might as well start easy and see what her new gun was capable of. It was strangely sweet the way V had purchased it for her, thinking about it too much made a blush colour her cheeks. Shaking her head to clear it, she raised the gun with a single hand, ready to press the trigger when V's voice stopped her.

"Nu-uh. Nope. Your grip is all wrong. You won't shoot straight with that and your arm will get tired easier. Try it like this." V stepped up behind her and put her hands on top of Judy's either side of the gun, guiding both into a comfortable grip on the pistol. Her body bracketed Judy’s closely, feeling V’s toned front pressed against her back. She shivered at their sudden closeness, feeling V’s breath hot on her neck and her husky voice in her ear was enough to have her heart racing. "That's better. Much better. Give that a try now."

Judy took a steadying breath before pulling the trigger. Three shots rang out, shooting perfect holes through the cardboard skull of the target. An excited smile spread across the techie's face, already feeling like a seasoned pro.

"Yes! Did you see that? I did it!" Judy punched the air with her gun-wielding hand as she examined her work proudly, and V's eyes widened.

"Safety!" Judy panicked and flicked the switch on quickly, before meeting V’s concerned expression with a half alarmed, half amused expression. "Phew. That was nova, Jude, I'm proud of you! Just... Don't forget the safety alright? I don't want either of us to be splashin' out on a ripper. Again." V nudged Judy with her hip and she couldn't help but smile.

"Shut up. I'm a badass now. Tyger's won't know what hit 'em." Judy flexed her arms and kissed her left bicep.

"Pretty sure they didn't see you comin' last time either, Punchin' Judy." V tried to distract from the blush creeping across her face as her eyes darted away from checking her out but it was too late, Judy had already clocked her with a smirk.

"Gonna make sure they don't get up next time. Where’d you learn to shoot anyways?”

“Was bounced around a lot as a kid, then when I finally settled in Heywood with Jackie, there was a lot of gang violence. Had to learn how to defend myself if I wanted to survive on the streets. It’s kill or be killed.” V’s voice was low, her expression growing bleaker as she was lost in memories. It seemed harden her posture, her eyes beginning to dart around the room from habit as if scanning for potential threat.

“Did you ever kill… professionally?” Judy couldn’t resist asking, even as she regretted putting that expression on V’s face. She remembered the ease at which her and Jackie took down those Tygers without a gun, V’s brief explanation now adding at least some clarity to that. Judy was dying to ask more but could see that this wasn’t the time for her questions and V wasn’t ready to tell whatever stories had caused her expression to darken.

“That’s definitely not a discussion for here.” V gestured to the amount of people holding weapons nearby, before giving Judy a small smile and trying to get back to the light-hearted atmosphere they’d had a moment ago. “C'mon, let's try a harder one this time."

Judy's enthusiasm for more target practice maybe should have been a little concerning but V just found it endearing, reaching down and programming the next target to be 25 feet away.

* * *

Judy was feeling on top of the world after her session with V, it was the best she had felt in a while. She returned home with a spring in her step, stashing her new gun in a place only she knew in her shared apartment. She was looking forward to having some time to herself for the first time in a while, without any pressure or expectations weighing her down.

Her afternoon was spent getting high in the office while editing one of her recent BDs in solitude. It was a performance she’d recorded a few nights ago when she had been feeling particularly frustrated and pent up. She’d gone to work after another argument with Maiko and had caught the end of one of V’s recording sessions as she had arrived in the editing basement. Needless to say, she’d immediately become a horny mess yet again. She’d instructed T-Bug to lower the pole from the ceiling and into the middle of the recording room. She’d learned pole-dancing shortly after joining Clouds a few years back, it had been one of her most popular demands but was also something she enjoyed. Beyond being heavily sexual and empowering, it was physically and mentally demanding; it was difficult to think too hard about anything else. It was exactly what she needed and had completely taken her out of her head for a few hours as she’d worked out under the glaring lights. By the end of it she was covered in a sheen of sweat, left in nothing but a lacy, black pair of panties as she allowed herself to slide down to the floor. Watching the clip back now, it was clear that she hadn’t completely stopped thinking about V considering the heated expression on her face throughout – in fact if she thought about it, she remembered imagining V’s eyes on her as she had danced.

She stubbed out the end of her joint, the sound of her stomach grumbling indidicated that she hadn't eaten in a while so she paused her editing to check which food stalls were still open. Her thoughts drifted to Maiko and the techie wondered whether her output had remembered to eat that day yet either. Wanting to extend the olive branch and get their relationship back on track, she decided she would text her and check.

_Judy Alvarez: Hey babe, have you had dinner yet? Was thinking about ordering some sushi. Maybe I could bring some to you?_

She waited patiently for a response that never came. Maiko was always busy and never seemed to have a spare second to answer her messages but it didn't deter Judy, at least this way she could surprise her with her favourite takeout. She also took it as confirmation that Maiko wouldn’t have eaten yet, providing her with the perfect opportunity for a sweet way to cheer her up and maybe even help her unwind.

On the way to Clouds, Judy picked up two portions of sushi from Maiko's favourite stand, leaving a small tip for the chef who she was on a first-name basis with. Back when she was still working at Clouds she would run out to that same stand every other day during her lunch break, always ordering the same thing for herself and her output. She had quickly got to know the kind woman who owned it. Judy had her own personal entrance to Maiko's office on the roof, she had used it many times during their relationship, all it required was a little tech magic. Things were no different this time as she climbed her way up the balconies and corridors without an issue, until she was at the door. _Easy as paella._ Preparing to open the door, balancing the takeout boxes in one arm as she did, her memory wandered back to the first time she had snuck in to surprise her output.

_Judy grinned to herself as she hacked the terminal and watched the side door slide open, allowing her to slip in. Sure, she could have just come up the normal way from her booth, but where was the fun in that? She had found the side entrance to Maiko’s office the last time she had been visiting, scouting out while she waited for her to be done for the day and ready to go home. She was pleased now that she had tested her theory and had been able to reach the office without a hitch; this time, she would be unexpected. She crept in quietly, hearing the sounds of Maiko wrapping up a holo call as she padded in. Making sure the door was closed behind her, she silently began to shed her clothes on the way to her output’s desk while she still had her back turned to her._

**_****_ **

_Maiko turned as she hung up the call with a frustrated growl, about to slam her hands on the desk when her eyes landed on her nearly naked girlfriend._

_“Judy?” She was confused, though desire was quickly clouding her eyes as she slowly dragged her eyes down Judy’s body, eyes tracing her tattoos across her chest and down to her perky breasts, one of them newly inked with a spiderweb which mirrored the one on her shoulder. Her appreciations stopped however, when her eyes landed on Judy’s waist. Or, more specifically, what was around her waist._

_“What do you think?” Judy smirked at Maiko, eyes hungry as she gazed at her output, a silvery tech strap-on gleaming between her thighs._

_“I think you’d better take that off and give it to me, then get over here and on my desk.” Maiko growled as she prowled closer, stepping out of her heels as she came and shrugging her blazer off. Her hand came up to grip Judy’s neck, making her gasp as her face was forcefully tilted to the side and Maiko whispered in her ear. “What were you thinking?” She was laughing even as her hands began to make fast work of the straps around her waist and thighs._

_“I just thought we could maybe try–”_

_“Desk. Now.” Maiko snapped, interrupting as she stepped away, shoving Judy towards her desk as she kicked off her skirt and began to step into the straps herself. “You know your place Jude. On your damn back.” She smirked, watching as Judy obediently draped herself back over Maiko’s large desk, the dark wood making Judy’s bare form stand out. She stepped up between her legs and forced them open, stepping up to her trembling lover and running the head of the strap-on through her folds._

**_****_ **

The door slid open and Judy's heart stopped at the new sounds drifting out. Exaggerated moans and the sounds of wet slapping flesh filled the office, and Judy dropped the bag of takeout in shock. She forced herself to peer around the corner, willing herself to see what she did not want to believe. Maiko was splayed out on her back atop her new desk, writhing and moaning as Woodman slammed into her. Neither party had noticed her presence. Judy wanted to refuse to believe what she was seeing, wanted to believe this was simply her output doing her job. But then she caught a glimpse of her eyes and noticed that they weren’t glowing, indicating that her doll chip wasn't active and she was fully in control and choosing for this to happen. And not just that, but apparently enjoying it too. She hadn't heard Maiko sound like that since the beginning of their relationship. Deciding she had seen enough, she took a shaky step back and tripped on her own feet in the confusion. Woodman looked in her direction; immediately recognising her, a sickening smirk spread across his face as he held her eye contact. He didn't falter his movements for a second.

Judy ran. She felt sick. _Am I gonna to be sick?_

The door slid shut behind her as she vomited in the corner. Everything suddenly made so much more sense. Maiko’s distance, her late working, her rising reputation at Clouds, her defence of the Tyger Claws. She had just been too blind and stupid to notice. She walked through the streets of Night City in a daze, her stomach still churning and a lump in her throat threatening to choke her. When she arrived back at their apartment, her hands were still shaking as she grabbed the biggest bag she could find and started filling it with as many clothes and essentials as she could. The first thing she grabbed was her gun which she holstered at her hip. She was finding it hard to pack with her hands shaking so violently, tears blurring her vision to the point that she wasn’t even sure what was being shoved into her bag. Her frantic packing came to a halt as she heard the door to the apartment slide open. Judy instinctively reached for the gun holding it firmly at her waist with trembling hands. The sound of heels clacking against the hard floor slackened her tight grip even as her stomach dropped, cold eyes meeting hers.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." Maiko sounded perfectly composed, not a single smudge of lipstick out of place or ruffle on her outfit; she looked as if nothing was wrong.

"How long?" Judy couldn't stop herself from shaking, her own make-up streaked and eye liner dried in drips down her cheeks.

"It doesn't matter."

"It does matter! It fuckin’ matters to me." Judy yelled, her voice becoming hoarse. As much as it hurt, she just wanted the clarity that would come with some answers.

"About five months." She sobbed at the confession, sliding down the wall with her head in her hands. She hit the back of her head against the wall a few times, a string of curse words broken with sobs leaving her lips.

"Dumb gonk bitch. Can't believe I was so stupid!"

Maiko scanned the room rather than watching Judy as she started crumbling, instead noticing the bag part-stuffed with Judy's belongings on the couch. She should have expected that really, but the sight still surprised her. She didn’t think Judy would have the nerve or the confidence to actually leave, considering that everything she had came from Maiko. She wouldn’t be able to survive without her; this thought gave Maiko the confidence to mock her.

"You won't leave. You need me." The doll said, her voice harsh, but carrying a hint of warning.

"Are you fuckin' kidding me? You think I could stay after seeing that?" Judy stood, adrenaline ripping through her body as she stormed towards Maiko, the stab of betrayal making her brave. "I've been the only thing keeping this relationship alive for months, living in the past and memories of the good times we've had. But the truth is, Maiko, it's been over for a while, just took me this long to realise.” Her voice broke again and she took a shuddering breath, her shoulders slumping as the fight drained out of her just as quickly as it had come.  
“I'm done, I'm leaving."

********

Judy barely had time to register the searing slap across her cheek, nails like razor blades leaving cuts in their path. Her head cracked to the side and her whole body tensed, immediately preparing for further blows. Her healed hand came up and clutched her cheek, another, quieter sob clawing its way out of her throat at Maiko’s next, vicious words.

********

"I've been nothing but good to you, paying for your stupidity. I stood by you when you joined the Mox, I supported you when you broke your wrist and I've paid for everything you've ever asked. What more do you want from me?" She was still furious, stood over Judy’s now-cowering form.

"Something your money can't buy: commitment, love, care. Clearly that's something you could never give me or anyone for that matter." Judy steeled herself. She pushed Maiko out of her way and she zipped up the bag of her belongings, lugging it over her shoulder and heading straight for the exit without a backwards glance. The anxiety she felt with her back turned on her ex-output was made obvious by her quivering limbs.

"If you walk out that door, you're never coming back. You'll lose everything. You have nowhere to go. No one who will treat you like I do." Maiko almost looked scared, as if she was about to lose something more valuable to her than she had realised and now it was too late. Judy met her eyes one final time before opening the door. Fire met fire, but this time neither one was going to give in.

"And that's exactly what I need. Goodbye, Maiko."

"Judy wait-" She heard Maiko's voice call out from the apartment but it was too late, she was already gone.

* * *

V was nearing the end of her shift at Lizzie's. She was ready to go home and have a nice, long soak in the tub. She had a few more customers than usual; Judy and Evelyn had the day off so she had a little less competition. It was exhausting but it did mean that she'd earned a nice sum of bonus eddies. It had been a relatively successful night for her, considering the commotion at the start of her shift. She had just finished up with her first client of the night and headed towards the bar for a drink and some time to unwind, only to be stopped by a half-frantic Rita. Tyger Claws had hit yet another Mox-run dollhouse. More dead, fewer escaped than last time. The survivors were all crammed into a booth in the corner of the bar area, eyes dulled by loss and fear. Susie was going out of her mind trying to work out where to put them all; Lizzie’s couldn’t sustain them all, nor did it have the room to do so. V was sent off during what was supposed to be her break to check in with the few remaining dollhouses in the area – luckily, she had found two which had the room to take in the traumatised survivors. Then she’d had to return to Lizzie’s and continue her night’s performances as if nothing was wrong. It had been draining, to say the least.

V was lingering by the entrance to the bar area, greeting customers as they crossed the threshold. She checked the time on her holo; only ten more minutes before she could delta. Her daydream was brought to an abrupt halt as she saw Judy talking to the Mox girl working the cloakroom. She handed over a large backpack before turning and heading through to the club. V knew straight away that something was wrong. Judy’s posture was tense but she was also hunched and curled into herself.

"Hey, what's going on?" V’s legs had carried her over to Judy subconsciously until she stood just behind her, her hand reaching out and catching the Mox’s. She was leaving her post but figured with only ten minutes left she could ger away with it. She stopped the techie and pulled her off to the side, noticing deep red scratch marks had appeared on her cheek that definitely weren't there earlier. V opened her mouth to ask, anger rising in her unbidden. She could see what had happened clearly with her own eyes, she didn’t even need Judy to explain. But she asked anyway because her friend clearly needed to talk.

Judy wanted to lie, to tell V that everything was fine, but she was just so tired. She couldn't stop the tears as they fell from her lids, her bottom lip quivering as her expression fell. "Maiko and I, we're... we're finished. I caught her with her boss, said it'd been going on for months. Don't know how I didn't notice. Feel like a total gonk." Her breath hitched as she explained, wondering how her day had gone from so perfect that afternoon with V to where she was now. With nothing. V pulled Judy into a tight embrace and allowed the techie to sob into her chest, tugging her into a hidden hallway behind a door so that Judy at least had some privacy in this moment of vulnerability. "Gonna sleep in my van and keep some stuff in the basement while I put a plan together. The apartment and pretty much everything in it was hers, I don't have anywhere else to go. I'm so fucked, V."

"It's gonna be okay, Jude. We'll work something out, together. Have you told Ev?" V's hand stroked the back of Judy's head, blunt nails gently scratching her scalp as she tried to calm the woman in her arms and offer her some reassurance. It appeared to be working after a few minutes as Judy’s sobbing died away to small hiccups and her jagged breath began to even out.

"No, not yet. I was hoping she'd be here but I forgot it's her day off too.” Judy shook her head as she stepped back, looking down and struggling to meet V’s eyes now, suddenly feeling incredibly weak and exposed. “I know what she'll say anyway and I've told her a thousand times no. She needs her own space and I don't wanna burden her." Maiko’s words were still fresh on her mind. She didn’t want to rely on anyone else right now, even if it was her best friend.

V contemplated Judy's words, getting the impression that she and Evelyn had discussed contingency plans on several occasions already. She wondered how many times something like this had happened to the techie for it to become a regular topic of conversation. The idea made her feel even more protective over Judy in that moment, wanting to sweep her back into her arms and protect her from the world. She gently reached out, fingers touching Judy’s chin and turning her head to the side so she could examine the cuts on her face more closely; Judy resisted for a moment, old defensive instincts kicking in, before she gave in to the examination with a sigh. V bit her lip, forcing her anger down as it began to resurface. Judy didn’t need her anger right then, she needed support and reassurance that things would be okay.

V came to a decision then. She bit her lip and hoped that Jackie would forgive her.

"You can stay with me. Jackie basically lives at Misty's place these days, his room is barely used. Just until you figure things out, at least you'll have a proper bed and some space to get your head on straight. He won't mind, I swear." She couldn’t bear the thought of Judy living in the back of her van, all alone and exposed. She sensed that given the opportunity, Judy would pull away from everyone in her attempt to deal with this, and she couldn’t let that happen.

Judy considered V's offer carefully. On one hand, she would love to have her own space and a proper place to lay her head that wasn’t a sleeping bag in her van and a squashed corner in the basement of her workplace. But on the other hand, this could only complicate things between them further and Judy really didn't want to lose anyone else right now. She didn’t even know who to trust anymore. Her options were slim and V's was definitely the best of the three. She had to be sure that the woman was actually okay with this though, and not just offering out of pity.

"Are...are you sure about that? Shouldn't you ask Jackie first?"

"I'll double-check with him if it makes you feel better but I've known him long enough to know his answer." V smiled, eyes worried and gentle as they looked at Judy; it filled her with warmth.

"I… Thank you, V. I don't know how I can ever repay you for everything you've done for me..."

"You could always send some clients my way when you make it as a big time BD editor?" V grinned and she saw a small glimpse of a smile on Judy's face. She considered that a win, no matter how little.

"That, I can do."

V briefly ran the idea past Jackie, having pulled him away from Rita who was now on solo door duty. As she had predicted, he was more than okay with it. He had grown fond of the techie himself and was almost as protective of her as he was of V. Whether Judy realised it or not, she was in the process of becoming adopted by the Welles family. With that settled, she hauled her backpack on and followed V to her Kusanagi.

"Hold on tight, okay? I'll try to drive slow." Judy mounted the bike behind her, sliding her arms around V's waist and holding her tightly. She took a steadying breath and buried her face between V’s shoulder blades, inhaling the calming smell of her leather jacket. The ride wasn't long but it was comforting feeling V’s unwavering, strong form in front of her, and she enjoyed the free excuse to be close to her, willingly accepting the comfort that was being offered.

Arriving at V's apartment sober felt very different to the night they had spent together a couple of weeks back. Somehow even more intimate; Judy had felt nervous to return knowing she would be a guest for more than one night this time. V carried Judy's bag and led her to Jackie's room, hastily grabbing a few articles of clothing lying around and shoving them into a drawer out of sight. Judy’s lips quirked up briefly in the ghost of a smile as she caught sight of some of the ‘vintage’ posters of topless women that Jackie had on one wall of his room.

"Here you go, it ain't much but it'll do. Sorry it's a man cave." She dropped Judy's bag in the middle of Jackie's large bed. “I can help you clear out some space in the wardrobe tomorrow, if you want? Your call.”

"It's perfect. Thank you." Judy examined the room carefully in an attempt to learn more about the Hispanic giant known as Jackie Welles. It provided a nice distraction if nothing else. On the desk were a pair of beer bottles labelled ‘Strategic Reserve’ with a note scribbled on reading ‘no touching!’ that made her smile; she could almost hear it in Jackie’s booming voice. On the beside table lay a book with a battered cover, ‘ _For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemmingway_ ’. A set of weights were nestled in the corner of the room, Jackie was clearly a man who liked to work out a lot. An unfinished sand mandala lay spread out on the alcove below the window, pencils strewn across its surface. Judy felt like she had barely scratched the surface of who Jackie Welles truly was but she definitely had a better idea now. It was crazy to her how much you could learn just from someone’s room. It certainly got her thinking.

"Who's your third housemate?"

V became tense for a moment before relaxing and scratching her cheek. This didn’t really seem like the right moment to attempt to explain her strange relationship to the distraught techie. "Her name's Meredith, typical corpo-rat. She works a lot so I doubt you'll see much of her. I'll let you make yourself at home, I need a bath. Shout if you need anything, alright?"

Judy nodded and tried to lighten the mood with a joke. "Totally, I can smell you from here. Thanks, V. It means a lot."

"Anytime, Jude." V headed off to the bathroom and closed the door behind her, knowing that right now, Judy needed her own space to grieve the loss of her relationship, no matter how toxic it had been. V would be there, ready and waiting, whenever she decided she was ready to talk.


	6. Domestic Disturbance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judy moves in with V and finally meets their third roommate. !TW! apply - see below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !TW! Between the ****s (and for most of the chapter) Dub-Con BDSM relationship and sexual violence. We do not condone this bad BDSM practice nor do we encourage it. Please skip if this is an issue.

Judy woke early on her first morning in Jackie's bedroom. Her first sleep as a newly single woman had been a restless one; filled with flashes of Maiko’s words mingled with reminders of the sight that had greeted Judy in her ex-output’s office. It had been equal parts devastating and tiring, but now finally in the light of day, Judy allowed herself to accept that she had made the right decision. Her first waking thought was about V, how the woman had been there for her, offered her a place to stay so willingly even after the way she treated her since last time she stayed in her apartment. She never judged, never pried, never made her feel uncomfortable. Unlike Maiko who was the complete opposite – always questioning. She hadn't heard from her ex-output since she left and Judy suspected she wouldn't be hearing from her for a while. She sighed and got up, staying in that massive bed any longer would just make her feel lonelier. She opened up her backpack and took out some clean clothes; an oversized cropped t-shirt with a robotic dog logo on the front coupled with a pair of form-fitting black leggings. V had left her a clean towel in the bathroom, encouraging her to take a shower when she felt up to it. _Maybe it'll make me feel a little less shitty._

She took longer than usual in the shower, feeling as if some of her problems were being scrubbed away as the suds soaked her skin. She emerged feeling a little better, hair smelling of V's signature shampoo, the one she had admired on multiple occasions of closeness with her friend. This was a fresh start for her, a chance to get it right and not let herself be treated less than what she deserved anymore. Judy had spent more than two years trying to fit herself into Maiko’s life, losing little parts of herself in the process. Now she needed to remember what she wanted for herself. She also vowed not to treat V as she had been for the past two weeks and to try to be more open with her. Of course, not _too_ open with her; she was still having difficulty processing the strange combination of feelings that the performer gave her alongside the devastation of the breakup.

She decided she would repay V by cooking her a tasty breakfast. Based on her observations the last time she had been, V wasn’t exactly a cook, and likely survived almost entirely off takeout food. This wasn’t that strange in Night City of course, but now that she was staying in V’s apartment maybe she could show her other alternatives. Judy learned everything she knew about cooking from her abuela, she often made her signature dishes when she was missing home and her family. The techie opened up the large fridge and eyed some scop eggs and bacon. _The perfect breakfast meal._ She set to work, the familiar patterns of prepping and cooking food soothing her further and chasing away some of the dark mood that had clung to her since the day before.

The smell of the food must have woken her new roommate as she heard movement from the room across from Jackie's. V soon appeared in the doorway, and Judy had to suppress an affectionate grin at the sight. Her hair was fluffy and messy, poking up in all angles as she yawned, shuffling out of her room, and stretching as she approached the breakfast bar in the kitchen. Judy had to avert her eyes from the reveal of V's toned stomach as she stretched, her Samurai vest top riding up _just_ enough to show a hint of abs. Her sweatpants were hanging low on her waist, the waistband of her boxer shorts riding an inch above the hem of the dark grey fabric.

"Mornin' Jude, how'd ya sleep?" V smiled as she slipped into a stool at the breakfast bar, unaware of the reaction she had elicited in the techie.

"Terribly, no surprise. I'm making you breakfast for your generous hospitality; how do you take your coffee?" Judy didn’t want to dwell any more on the events of yesterday, not yet. So she changed the subject quickly, appreciation swelling in her chest when V yet again didn’t push for more.

"Splash of milk, please."

Judy grinned as she poured the two mugs of coffee. "Same as me. Good taste, here ya go." She handed V the coffee and then served up the synthetic breakfast.

"That smells so good. Thank you." Judy placed the plates down and lifted herself into the stool next to the performer. V felt strangely touched by this gesture from Judy, couldn’t remember the last time someone had actually made breakfast just for her. Perhaps the only person to ever do that for her, in her whole life, had been Mama Welles.

"De nada, enjoy." V was about to dig in when she heard a familiar clicking of heels against the corridor outside the apartment. She immediately stiffened. _Oh fuck, not now, please!_

The door flung open and Meredith strutted in, blinking in shock at the scene she had walked in on. She placed her briefcase down by the door before she strode over, eyes examining Judy critically and clearly finding nothing to approve of.

"Didn't realise we'd hired a chef. Where's mine?" Meredith snarked as she approached the pair, frowning at the strange woman who seemed to be sat so comfortably in her apartment. Her tone was cutting, clearly displeased with the intrusion into what had become her and V’s space. V gritted her teeth. _This is gonna be awkward._

"This is my other roommate, Meredith Stout from Militech. Meredith, Judy Alvarez, friend and co-worker at Lizzie's Bar." V gave a typical no-nonsense introduction in a language she knew Meredith would understand. She’d hoped to have a few more days with Judy to allow the techie to become more comfortable in the apartment before raising the topic of her complicated relationship with Meredith; after all, the corpo had been away for days already, what was a few more? The last thing Judy needed was someone else’s relationship drama.

"Uh... S'up." Judy gave an awkward wave.

Meredith stared between the pair in front of her, as if assessing something or calculating her next move.

"I see, well… I'm so sorry to crash your cozy little _breakfast_ _date_ but, here I am." Meredith sat on the other side of the bar opposite V, pulling a cigarette packet out of her blazer and placing one between her lips. Her eyes met V’s with a clear look of expectation, one perfectly sculpted brow raising. She was already picking up the lighter off the table and leaning forward as she lit the cigarette in a way that Judy had experienced herself before, eyes locking and intense. V seemed to realise how telling the action was a moment later, sitting back in her seat and shoving a forkful of eggs into her mouth awkwardly, a light blush colouring her cheeks.

"So... Did you miss me last night?" Meredith smirked at V’s flushed expression, exhaling her smoke towards Judy, and running her nails up V's forearm in a way that was _very_ friendly.

Judy swallowed hard as she looked between the two women, hoping the pieces of the puzzle that seemed to be slotting into place were wrong. She had never seen V so flustered and timid; the performer was usually cool confidence or complete sweetness. This passive side of V was new and strange.

"A little. Where have you been?" V wanted to pry and find out where Meredith had been in the last few days, why she hadn’t come back to the apartment to at least sleep once throughout that time. She just hoped that Judy's presence would force Meredith to control herself.

"The usual. Closed another big deal, got a few competitors flatlined and went shopping. Got something I think you're going to _love_. As for her, probably not." The wicked smirk on the corpo’s face as she dragged on her cigarette left no room for doubt in Judy's mind that V was fucking her housemate and had been for a significant amount of time. She didn't know what this meant, Judy was sure V didn't have an output, or at least she’d never mentioned one before, which made the relationship even more uncertain. _Is V only interested in casual hook ups?_ It would explain her flirtatious nature which didn't exactly go unnoticed by the techie. She didn’t want to think about why this information disappointed her. She wasn’t exactly in any position to think about seeing someone else, and V was clearly spoken for in some way. Meredith was certainly acting possessive. Her thoughts started to spiral as she stared down at her now-cold breakfast.

"You'll uh, have to show me later." V was blushing brightly, her body tense and rigid beside Judy.

"If you're lucky." Meredith stubbed out her cig in an ashtray before standing. "Truly a _pleasure_ to meet you, Judy Alvarez. I do hope you're not here next time I come home from work though, me and V we... Like our space."

"Actually, Judy's going to be staying with us for a while, in Jackie's room." V interjected, quick to correct Meredith before she said anything else rude or revealing.

Judy was feeling smaller and smaller every second.

"Ugh, from one pest to another... At least it's not another Welles. Fine. Come see me later, alone." Without another word, Meredith disappeared into her bedroom, engaging the lock behind her.

There were a few moments of silence, neither performer willing to cut through the tension that hung in the air.

"I'm sorry about her, she’s... not always like that." V attempted a small laugh but sounded deflated.

"Yeah... She's certainly somethin'." Judy forced a smile. "I'm not really that hungry, gonna go unpack my stuff, give you two some space." V barely had time to nod before the techie had disappeared into Jackie's room.

* * *

********

Later that night, V was woken by the sensation of someone pulling back her covers. Cracking an eye open she immediately recognised the silhouette of Meredith, framed against the low light of her lamp. She was almost completely naked, which went a long way in chasing away any remaining drowsiness on V's part. She wore a leather black bustier that left little to the imagination and matching black stockings; paired with her dark makeup and swept back hair she looked every bit the domme that she was. The idea of Meredith walking through their apartment in this state made her feel both uncomfortable on Judy's part, and irrationally turned on. V gulped, her pulse immediately beginning to race as she sat up, the covers pooling around her waist where she was in bed, sleeping in nothing but a loose pair of blue briefs. She hadn't been expecting company, but she wasn't about to complain.

“Glad to see you’re sleeping alone, wouldn’t want to disturb your little love nest again, would I?” The older woman teased, now coming into full view.

V watched eagerly as Meredith revealed a black bag from behind her back and dropped it on the bed. "Be a good little pet and open that up. I want all the toys laid out on the side and accessible for me tonight. Quickly." Meredith ordered as she kicked the door closed behind her carelessly, making V flinch at the sound and pray that Judy wasn't a light sleeper. She scrambled to obey, getting to her feet before pausing and taking her briefs off pre-emptively, leaving her completely naked. She knew they would get ripped from her body sooner rather than later, so she might as well save Meredith a job so she would put her hands on V's body sooner.

She opened up the mysterious bag, feeling anticipation rise in her stomach as she looked at the contents. There were Meredith's staple toys: the black tech strap on that usually made V scream, some military-grade handcuffs that could be attached to chains and tied to the corners of her bed, a blindfold and a ball gag. These items were quickly removed and lined up as per Meredith's instructions before her attention returned to the remaining things in the bag. All that remained now were two new items V hadn't yet seen, but assumed they were what Meredith had been referring to in their conversation earlier. A black latex glove sat at the bottom of the bag, the underside of it roughly textured. The fingertips were topped with metal fashioned into vicious looking nails which were sure to leave their mark. V felt herself shiver as she imagined that texture running across her sensitive neck, over her nipples, trailing down towards...

She let out a yelp as a stinging slap landed on her ass, causing her to jolt forward and brace herself against the side table. Meredith's body pressed against her and a rough hand knotted in her hair, jerking it back until V's neck was craned back against Meredith's shoulder and her throat exposed to teeth sinking in. "Which part of _quickly_ wasn't clear, V? I’m not feeling very patient right now.” Meredith growled against her skin, hand coming up to clamp down on V's neck and cut off her air supply briefly, making her gasp as teeth continued to torture the skin of shoulder deliciously.

"Do you like my new toys? I see you haven't got my favourite one out yet." She removed her hand and reached into the bag, the other hand still tangled controllingly in V's hair as she drew out a small, rectangular box. Emblazoned across the front was the image of a black metallic butt plug, all smooth, sleek edges with a built-in vibrator that could be controlled remotely. "I'm gonna fill you up and break you tonight, pet. I hope you're ready." Meredith released her suddenly and the pressure was gone from her back. V knew she was soaked already, knew how much smug pleasure Meredith would take from the fact.

She soon found herself completely restrained and helpless, spread-eagled in the centre of the bed. Her hands were bound together above her head and her legs cuffed and spread by a spreader bar, completely open to any of Meredith's touches. The woman herself stood over V silently, eyes drinking in the sight of the performer bound on her own bed, chest heaving and flushed prettily with arousal. Her spread thighs were already slick and Meredith licked her lips unconsciously, irises nearly black with lust. She had been dying to claim the woman since she had walked in that morning and witnessed the infatuated glances V threw towards their delightful third roommate. She needed reminding who she belonged to.

Since V was also blindfolded, she had no awareness of where Meredith was. The domme took great pleasure in her sub's uneasiness, letting her squirm as she stood in silence for minutes. V's defined abs tensed repeatedly and her head moved from side to side, desperately trying to locate her mistress. Meredith added the final restraint then, climbing onto the bed and straddling one of V's spread legs as she forced a red ball gag into her mouth, ignoring the muffled gasp of protest that left the performer’s lips.

"Wouldn't want your little joytoy across the hall to hear you scream for me, would we?" Meredith taunted, slipping her left hand into the latex glove and flexing it a few times, admiring the way the metal claws glinted in the light. V was trying desperately not to think of Judy this time. Didn’t feel right with what she had gone through to fantasize about her again, so she forced the techie from her mind. Luckily, Meredith would hardly give her the chance to think tonight; it was exactly what she needed.

She used a single, metallic nail to trail across V's neck, admiring the way she immediately threw her head back and exposed more of her skin, desperate for any sort of touch at this point. A bright red line bloomed as the nail was trailed across her neck and down to her breasts, nipples already pebbled. Meredith used the rough texture of the glove to knead the bound woman’s left breast, leaving her gasping raggedly around the gag in her mouth, arousal flooding through her again. Meanwhile her other hand pinched V’s right nipple, gradually increasing the pressure until she was squirming away from her touch and whimpers were leaving her mouth. She released V with a moan, revelling in the burn that wrapped around her nerves. Instead of giving her time to recover though, Meredith began the same process with her already-sensitive left nipple. She tugged on the taut peak repeatedly before ducking down and drawing it between her lips, grazing her teeth then biting down and enjoying V's responding groan as her hips jumped up needily, desperate for some friction to relieve the growing ache between her legs.

V knew she was in for a long night; Meredith was clearly in the mood to play with her for hours. She was glad she had the following day off since she'd likely need some time to recover from the aches and marks that would be left after tonight. Pleasure was already thrumming under her skin mixed with tantalising flares of pain; just enough to have her panting desperately. Meredith continued to tease her with the glove, using an overwhelmingly effective combination of its roughly textured surface and sharp nails which had V worked up in no time. Her skin was sensitive, nerve-endings awakened by the teasing touches and rough scratches until her front was a canvas of criss-crossing scratches all along her neck, chest, abs, and thighs.

Meredith’s hands clamped down on her hips and forced them to be motionless on the bed as she tutted. She made her way down V’s tender chest again, kissing and biting as she went, adding more marks to her already flushed skin. Her tongue swirled around each nipple, enjoying V’s moans of approval while the bound woman struggled to hold herself still; she knew that the more she disobeyed, the longer this torture would continue. Her lips were grazing along her abs now, teeth sinking into the tense muscles and leaving a love bite already blooming as she continued her descent. V felt her eyes roll back in her head as Meredith bit into her hipbones, the area of her body so sensitive that it sent a direct shot of electricity to her clit. The corpo’s gloved hand pressed into the skin on the other side, making her moan loudly as her legs automatically tried to clamp closed but were unable to, held apart firmly by the spreader bar.

Meredith sat back, satisfied with her work and the way she already had V worked up to the edge. Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy for the performer to get her relief. The domme gripped a hand on the spreader bar holding V’s legs apart and pushed it upwards, forcing her legs up. The performer’s breath quickened with the new position leaving her centre completely exposed. Meredith would see just how wet she’d got already, would surely taunt her for it. The domme licked her lips as her eyes were drawn to the glistening folds in front of her, arousal coating them deliciously as she trailed the nail of her glove teasingly along the centre of V’s thighs, making her squirm away from the promise of pain directly on her clit. She then ripped the glove off, discarding it to the side for now. One hand still held the spreader bar aloft, forcing V’s knees back against her chest and without warning, she plunged two fingers into her core.

The reaction was immediate. V’s back arched and a loud moan tore from her throat, barely muffled by the gag in her mouth. She was so wet that the fingers inside her met no resistance as they slid in, leaving her legs quaking as she tried to raise her hips up and take them deeper. Meredith pumped her fingers in and out a few times experimentally, sharp eyes monitoring V’s reactions to make sure she didn’t get to the point of coming. She curled her fingers up and ground them into the rough patch on the top of her inner walls, watching the way V’s muscles immediately clenched and her thighs spasmed, breathy sighs leaving her lips. Feeling her entrance beginning to tighten around her fingers Meredith ripped them away, leaving V empty and wanting. She whimpered desperately; she had been so close to her release.

“Not yet.” Meredith removed the blindfold as she snaked up V’s body, sucking and biting into the hollow of her exposed neck as she did. She eventually came to straddling V’s chest, and the helpless woman knew what was coming next. The ball gag was pulled from her mouth and hung down about her neck like a suggestive necklace and she rolled her jaw a few times; it was already sore from the way she had been gritting her teeth around it in an attempt to keep quiet. She barely had time to loosen it before Meredith was finally straddling her face and V looked up, eyes lidded and hungry as she looked at her smirking mistress above her.

“Put that tongue of yours to good use.” She ordered before lowering her centre down onto V’s waiting lips. V knew better than to tease Meredith, not if she wanted any sort of relief out of this night, and so she quickly got to work pleasing the older woman. Dragging her tongue in one long swipe across her pussy, she spread the wetness from Meredith’s entrance up to her clit, revelling in the groan she earned. She swirled tongue over Meredith’s bundle of nerves a few times, working her up before she set a quick pace, flicking her tongue back and forth before breaking the pattern and circling it. She regularly dipped her tongue back down to her entrance, catching more of Meredith’s juices on her greedy tongue and spreading them up through her folds. Meredith was soon grinding down onto her face almost desperately, close to reaching what would likely be her first of many peaks. At that point V just let Meredith fuck herself on her tongue, making sure to angle it in such a way that it hit her clit with every thrust until the older woman fell apart above her, hands gripping her hair tightly and holding her face to her pussy as she came down.

“Good girl.” Meredith praised, grip on V’s hair relaxing after the few minutes she had needed to catch her breath as she swung her body from on top of V and got to her feet, still slightly weak at the knees. V was still flushed and tensed from watching Meredith come, _feeling_ it on her tongue. It had done very little to ease the pressure of her own arousal but she knew better than to ask. Sure enough, Meredith soon forced the ball gag back into place in her mouth and pulled the blindfold down to cover her eyes. “Turn over.” She ordered shortly, and V heard her footsteps padding away to the side to pick up her next toy of choice, the unknown making her shiver. She quickly arranged herself how Meredith wanted her, her front pressed down against the mattress with her cuffed hands trapped under her, her ass raised up in the air and legs still spread from the spreader bar. There were a few moments of silence, interrupted by the click of a lighter before the acrid smell of smoke filled the room. Classic Meredith, she always lit up a cig after an orgasm. V allowed herself to relax, figuring she would be trapped waiting in this position for a while.

She was soon proved wrong however when fire lanced across her ass cheek and she jerked forward, an exclamation of pain escaping around the gag. She heard a cruel chuckle behind her and tensed her muscles, now prepared for the next swing.

“Relax, pet. It’ll hurt more if you tense up like that. Not that I care.” She was barely given a moment to try and relax before the next blow came, very slightly overlapping with where the first had landed, leaving a burning sting in its place. V realised then that Meredith was using one of her belts, probably the one she had worn to work the night before and felt a flush of shame; she would never be able to look at that belt the same again. The blows slowly increased in their strength, cracking against her exposed ass and thighs heavier and heavier. Each sear of pain expanded deeper within her and settled low in her belly, continuing to stroke the fire of arousal that burned in her, but never enough to allow her some relief. Meredith wasn’t holding back however, and V wished she had at least warmed her up before moving to these brutal hits which were biting into her skin. The sound of the belt swinging through the air was growing harsher, and each strike hurt enough that she was tensing before the next one came down on her already reddened flesh. Meredith monologued throughout, telling V how delicious she looked, how she was dripping and soaking her sheets, how she couldn’t wait to be inside her. The crude words and harsh tone only increased V’s arousal and she wondered if she could come from this alone. She certainly felt close, her muscles beginning to tense yet again and thighs beginning to quake.

But then faster blows rained down, not giving her the chance to prepare for the next. Smack; pain; pleasure. She settled into the rhythm even as she felt her climax fall from her grasp yet again, feeling the fog of submission beginning to descend on her mind even as she was forced out of her comfort zone. The pain was now beginning to overpower the burn of pleasure, making her eyes sting behind the blindfold. If it weren’t for the gag in her mouth she would have begged to stop, far past her pain threshold and not knowing how long the spanks had gone on, but of course that wasn’t allowed. One, final blow landed, across both cheeks, and she let out a wail of distress before she could stop herself.

Meredith just laughed. “More. Louder.” She torturously traced a finger over V’s dripping labia and up to circle her clit, sending a burst of need through her that overwhelmed the burning pain in her backside. Her finger swirled in the entrance before returning to her clit in a relentless pattern: side, top, circle; side, top, circle. V’s ass arched up as she tried to push back. She was moaning and gasping around the gag in her mouth uncontrollably, helpless to stop the sounds that Meredith wanted to hear. Her legs trembled. _More. Don’t stop. Please…_ But of course, she stopped. V was left completely without touch for the next few minutes, blinded and confused by the mask over her eyes. She took the opportunity to ground herself, breathing heavily through the pain and wishing Meredith would soothe it by rubbing her blood-red cheeks and dissipating the pain.

Instead, she felt a cold drizzle between her cheeks that had her jumping and gasping. The contrast between her heated skin and the cold liquid had her trembling again, senses going into overdrive as she tried to work out what was coming next. What had she gotten herself into with the corpo this time? She felt the nudge of something hard and metallic, and her insides clenched; she knew what that was. An image of the butt plug Meredith had shown off came to mind and V moaned needily around the gag, needing something, _anything_ , to relieve the pressure Meredith had mercilessly built up in her. She felt like she would implode if she didn’t get to come soon. The cool lube now coating her cheeks eased the butt plug inside, but she still felt the stretching burn right down to the tips of her toes. Her breath hitched as she automatically tried to move away from the intrusion, not getting very far thanks to her bindings and she was forced to take each torturous inch of the plug as it entered her. Meredith landed one, brutal smack on her tender ass cheek that had her crying out and freezing, immediately halting her efforts to escape the constant press. She couldn’t take any more; it seemed to be stretching her infinitely and the pain that came from the fact that Meredith hadn’t eased her into it was becoming unbearable. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes before suddenly it slipped into place, the last few inches entering her as her muscles tapered around the handle. She felt impossibly full, but now that the worst of it was over, the sensation wasn’t unpleasant. Meredith tapped the flared end that protruded from her ass with a hum of satisfaction, giving it a teasing tug and turning it inside her, making her gasp and twitch.

“There. That wasn’t so bad, was it?” V wanted to disagree but held herself silent and still. “Look at you. What would your little joytoy say if she could see you now? I bet she couldn’t give you this, give you what you need.” Meredith drawled as she stepped off the bed, again leaving V to squirm under her hungry gaze. She looked so tempting, trussed up and restrained with nowhere to go, nothing to do but take everything she was given. Ready to be used. She prepared herself with her favourite toy, the tech strap-on hanging between her legs as she inserted the corresponding chip that would allow her to feel everything.

She stepped behind V, watching her companion tense as soon as she detected Meredith’s presence and push her ass back desperately. She wandered just how far she’d be able to push her tonight before she came. She slowly trailed the head of her strap-on through V’s drenched core a few times, teasingly allowing it brush over her clit and enjoying the way V would cry out each time. She kept that up, testing her own self-control, until V was grinding back against her desperately, no longer caring about the potential consequences of not holding still for her mistress. Meredith entered her in one, hard thrust, timing it with another stinging slap to V’s ass, watching as the sub’s shoulders slumped in relief of finally being granted some attention to her aching pussy. She immediately set a hard, punishing pace as she chased her own relief in the coming orgasm, curling her arm down under V to pinch her clit roughly, groaning at the way it forced her muscles to grip onto the strap on slamming into her, heightening Meredith’s pleasure until she hunched over V’s back, groaning into her ear as she came for the second time. She held herself still inside V, hands roaming over her over-sensitive flesh greedily, not about to let her come just yet despite how clearly desperate she was. Once she was confident that she wouldn’t come as soon as she moved, Meredith slowly withdrew before sinking in again.

The domme watched the woman beneath her arch her back and grind into the dildo desperately, providing a delicious glimpse of the butt plug pressed between her cheeks. A wicked smirk spread across her lips and she pulled her holo up, locating the latest tech she had installed. A moment later the butt plug buzzed to life and V froze underneath her before a low, keening moan escaped her gagged mouth at the new sensation. Meredith picked up her pace fully then, coupling each deep thrust with a twist or tug of the plug until the performer was hoarsely screaming into her pillow, bound hands gripping their own cuffs in her desperation.

This pattern felt like it was repeating in an endless loop of blissful torture for V. Meredith would pound into her, chasing her own pleasure but always knowing exactly when to stop before V could reach her own. She had to pull out sometimes, correctly guessing that any contact at all would have sent the woman hurtling over the edge. Instead she would knead her reddened ass cheeks, tug roughly on her nipples until V was almost sobbing and fuck her with the butt plug torturously slowly. Throughout it all, the plug was a constant vibration inside her, never letting her arousal fade to manageable levels. She didn’t know how many times Meredith had orgasmed herself, but surely she would have had her fill soon.

V felt like she had been absolutely wrecked. Meredith removed the ball gag for the first time in over an hour, but she couldn't even enjoy the relief that came to her aching jaw as she was so worked up. She couldn’t bear the thought of Meredith leaving her pent up again, as she often did.

"Who do you belong to? Say it. I wanna hear you."

"You, mistress. You! I'm yours. Please..." Meredith smirked. V sounded utterly ruined, exactly how she liked her. Her whole body was taught, glistening with sweat and desperate to come. She was covered in scratches and bite marks, her ass was sore, her eyes wide and teary in their desperation. Surely their guest would have heard V’s cries at this point, she was no longer being quiet after all. The thought made Meredith incredibly self-satisfied.

"Please please please please –!" She let V beg for a minute longer, listening to the quake in her voice and watching her pull at the restraints and arch her back, whimpering deliciously. Then she plunged back in with the strap-on, barely holding back a gasp of her own at the sensory feedback she was getting, feeling V's pussy immediately clamp down onto the intrusion and try to hold her in before Meredith pulled out and left her empty again. But she wasn't going to stop this time. She felt another orgasm building as she ploughed into the submissive girl beneath her, listening to her gasps and moans beginning to crescendo until she pinched a nipple viciously, making her wail.

"Wait for me, pet." She warned, her hips maintaining their punishing pace even as she began to spasm and come, her legs aching with the stain. Still she kept going, leaning down and wrapping her hand around V's neck in a tight grip as she fucked into her harder. "Cum. Now." Those two short words were enough for V, who felt like she was suspended for a few moments in a desire so intense it veered on pain, before she exploded. White-hot pleasure rippled through her and a hoarse scream came from her mouth before she turned her head and muffled her moans into a pillow, the orgasm so intense she wondered if she had blacked out for a moment. Her entire body felt like it was tingling and her head was oh so heavy as it lolled to the side, barely staying in touch with reality.

She felt Meredith’s cold hands on her skin again and whined in disagreement; she couldn’t possibly take more. But instead Meredith had simply shoved her over onto her back and unclasped the handcuffs, so they were no longer attached together. V’s eyes remained closed, too spent and suddenly cold to pay attention to what was happening around her. She hoped this would be one of the nights Meredith was too exhausted to resist curling up in bed beside her. She desperately needed the comfort of skin on skin contact after the intensity of the night, even if her corpo roommate wasn’t much of a cuddler; just feeling her body heat in the bed beside V would be enough.

Instead, she heard the click of her door closing, and she was left alone. She remained in the same position as her breathing shuddered and tried to come back to herself, aches radiating from her whole body. Eventually, she managed to pull herself up just enough for shaky hands to remove the cuffs from her wrists and ankles, carelessly left there by Meredith. Next came the task of removing the plug, something that had her crying out into her pillow from the burning pain created as it was left her body. Finally, all evidence of their night was removed from her bed (except the wet patch) and she curled up under the covers, careful to avoid lying on her bruised and tender ass. She felt hollow. Empty. Meredith would never stay, no matter how much V needed her to.

********

* * *

Judy jerked awake in bed, unsure when she had fallen asleep. She had spent the day moping, if she was honest, but figured she was allowed given the situation. She was grateful to V, so grateful, for giving her a real bed where she could catch a few hours of sleep before she was inevitably woken up by the nightmares of Woodman’s eyes meeting hers as he–

She shook her head to clear her mind. She wasn’t thinking about that shit show when she was conscious, not when her subconscious was already forcing her to replay it again and again. She was sure she hadn’t been dreaming though, so what had woken her? A sound drifted into her room from beyond her door then, making her freeze and horror began to wash over her. _Fuck, no. Please don’t make me listen to that._ She mentally prayed, hoping she had misheard. But no. There it came again.

The sounds of moaning, clearly attempting to be quiet but loud enough to be heard nonetheless, were filling the apartment. The husky tenor to the gasps and groans made it evident almost immediately who they belonged to, and Judy felt an unwelcome heat begin to build in her stomach. She had heard V’s moans before, during sleepless nights months ago when she had watched some of her smut BDs, long before they met. It still didn’t prepare her for hearing them in person, even if she wasn’t the one eliciting them. Or maybe _because_ of that.

Judy scrambled to her feet, desperately trying to ignore the way the moans picked up as she dug through her belongings, half-unpacked in the cupboard but mostly spilling from her bag, in search of her earplugs. No luck. She considered leaving the apartment, but the idea of being heard leaving was even worse. At least this way she could pretend she hadn’t witnessed the hottest damn sounds she’d ever heard. V didn’t need to know they would haunt her dreams for weeks. The moans were suddenly interrupted by the sharp crack of leather against skin and Judy’s head jerked up, unintentionally beginning to listen in. _Was V into…? Surely not_. The performer exuded total top energy with all that cocky confidence. But then, so did Meredith. And out of the two, she knew who was more likely to submit to the other; V was nothing if not a people pleaser.

The whole apartment was soon filled with the steady smacking, and as it increased in volume Judy worried her lip and shifted in bed, thighs rubbing together, uncomfortably wet. She couldn’t help but imagine V spread across her bed in that moment, imagine her hand coming down on her ass and making it red, hearing V moan for her and not the corpo-rat woman she had met earlier. Her aroused musings were abruptly cut off by the sound of a strangled cry of distress, one clearly laced with pain and not pleasure.

Protective, righteous anger filled her, and she was on her feet and halfway to the door before stopping to consider her actions, She couldn’t just barge in, would surely be unwelcome and it could possibly anger her co-worker. The one who had been kind enough to let her stay rent-free would surely not be happy if she interrupted such a personal and intimate thing. V must be consenting to this, maybe she had a masochist streak or something. Either way, it wasn’t her place to get involved. Besides, if she laid eyes on the scene beyond V’s bedroom door, she would never recover. And these traitorous thoughts of hers needed to end.

So she suffered in silence, one pillow over her head trying to ignore the moans as they rose again, the sounds of slapping flesh and desperate cries ringing in her ears and keeping her awake for what felt like hours. It was painful for her, for reasons she didn’t want to examine too closely. Hearing the desperate pleas leaving V’s lips, audible even across the hall, was something she wouldn’t forget anytime soon. Finally, they were cut off by a choked-up scream of pleasure. All was quiet then, until Judy heard the click of a door and footsteps retreating to the other end of the apartment. Apparently Meredith had returned to her room, leaving V all alone after what sounded like an intense session. Judy felt her anger simmering again towards the selfish, vicious woman and she couldn’t help but wonder what V saw in her.

The woman had a big heart which she wore on her sleeve regardless of whether it meant she was hurt by people who took advantage. People like Meredith Stout who manipulated those around them for a living, as if they were just simple pawns in a much bigger game of chess. Judy could recognise the similarities between Maiko and Meredith, hindsight was a wonderful and bitter tool for reflection. Their cold hearts were incapable of truly loving. After all, what was the point in giving yourself to someone fully if there was nothing to gain? To share all of one’s deepest desires and vulnerabilities just made them weak and that was not an option. But to have a life without love? That was not an option for V and certainly not Judy. V deserved more. She deserved everything.


	7. Stalemate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judy suffers from a lack of sleep. Evelyn is the queen of chess. V is a poor, fragile egg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Discussions of Bad BDSM etiquette / Dub-Con / Sexual Violence (we do not condone this) throughout.
> 
> After the ****'s there's some solo smut. Won't spoil who BUT I think you can probably guess.

"Alright I'm just calibrating and attempting to synch your BD rec chips, gimme a minute." T-Bug tapped away furiously on her keyboard, pulling up both Judy and Evelyn's feeds on separate monitors. She spent a few minutes finalising some settings on the prototype software Judy had been designing and editing for a close to a year, before she gave a satisfied nod and spun around on her chair to face the two friends. "Okay I think we're all set. Dual-scrolling experiment number 1 is now in session."

Judy had chosen Evelyn to assist her in the first trial of her latest tech concept; scrolling two actors’ experiences simultaneously. She had no idea whether it would work but she was finally ready to at least test it. After all, if you don't try, you don't succeed. She just hoped this could be her foot in the door of the editing biz. T-Bug was jacked into her computer, attempting to splice the feeds together as they were recording. Evelyn had brought her holographic chessboard to play while they recorded, explaining that the thrill of the game, the calculating nature of it would be perfect to capture in a preliminary BD.

"How are you feeling today? Any word from the bitch?” Evelyn had been dying to get Judy alone to find out how she’d been doing and what she’d missed. She hadn’t seen her friend for more than a few minutes since she moved into Jackie’s room. When she had been living with Maiko, Judy would frequently spend time at Lizzie’s even when she wasn’t working just to get away from her ex-output for a while. But since moving in with a certain performer, Judy was spending more and more time at her new home. Evelyn would have been amused by this, if it weren’t for the fact that V was usually working when Judy had time off. She wasn’t staying at home to spend time with her roommate, but to be alone; Evelyn was worried.

"Nope, I don't think I'll be hearing from her for some time. Can we not do this right now? I’m tryin’ to create a masterpiece here." Judy frowned, looking down at the chessboard and moving her rook, avoiding her friend’s probing gaze. She had asked Evelyn to be a part of her dual-scrolling project because she thought she would take it seriously, not because she wanted an interrogation. This was important to her; she couldn’t afford to be distracted by the mess that was her emotions. Besides, she was still licking her wounds after a punishing three days around her new roommates and wasn’t ready to process those feelings right now.

"Someone’s agitated today. How's the new place?" Evelyn’s voice was calm and therefore laced with suspicion. She countered Judy’s move with her bishop, claiming the techie’s second rook in the process.

Judy knew that tone, knew it meant that Evelyn had set her mind on something and always ensured she got it. She had witnessed enough of her schemes over the years; the perfect combination of intrigue and manipulation that had seen her climb to the top of first Clouds, then Lizzie’s. But she also knew that Evelyn cared about her, would never do anything with bad intentions. In fact, she had regularly seen things in Judy’s life more clearly than Judy had herself. Maiko was a prime example.

"Eh, not as shitty as being stuck with Maiko. Feels like a weight off my shoulders knowin’ she won’t just strut in the door. Just been having trouble sleepin'. That's all." Judy hated lying to Evelyn. She hated the way her friend always seemed to know that she was lying even more.

"Any particular reason for that I wonder?" Evelyn raised an eyebrow suggestively and Judy knew exactly what she was insinuating. _How does she do that? She always knows._

"The main problem is the noise.” Judy relented with a sigh, accepting that Evelyn would get it out of her eventually. She moved her knight to claim a pawn.

“What noise?” Evelyn had predicted the move and took the knight with her queen, seemingly fully immersed in the game in front of them rather than the conversation they were having.

“Oh I don’t know maybe it’s just the excessively loud sex between V and her corpo-rat roommate." Judy snapped as she felt the anger rising and she was sure it reflected in her tone of her voice. The bags under her eyes were suddenly a lot heavier as she aggressively moved out her queen to swipe another pawn. She hadn’t expected to be this affected by seeing V with someone else and wasn’t ready to acknowledge what it revealed about her deepening connection to the woman. But complex feelings aside, she worried about V too. She could still hear that whimpered scream of pain, had toyed with the idea of bringing it up to her multiple times, but had always chickened out. If she pried into that part of V’s life, she might never recover. Even so, the sight of Meredith around V always filled her with an irrational rage.

"I did wonder whether they were still a thing." Evelyn used Judy’s distraction to take her opponent’s queen with a smirk, ignoring her friend’s glare of disbelief. _She’d known?_

"Shit! You knew V was fucking someone and you didn't tell me?" Her voice was visibly hurt and it didn’t go unnoticed. Judy couldn’t think about the chess match anymore, her thoughts shrouded with annoyance as she blindly moved a piece. It certainly confirmed her suspicion that V had been sleeping with Meredith for months, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. However, she couldn’t believe that Evelyn hadn’t mentioned it to her – she loved to gossip enough that the failure to mention it seemed intentional.

"Well I… didn't think it would matter. You two are really good chooms after all. Thought she would have told you herself, being so close." Evelyn couldn’t resist the opportunity to dig just a little deeper. Her queen claimed more and more of Judy’s pieces in just a few turns. She wanted Judy to admit what was happening, but also knew she had to figure it out on her own. That didn’t mean she couldn’t guide her in the right direction though. Her best friend was stubborn enough to completely ignore her reality if she thought it would protect her. Maiko’s manipulation and betrayal had really done a number on the techie’s ability to open herself up; she hoped that V could fix that. If Judy would let her.

"I thought _we_ were chooms. Thought you told me everything." Judy sounded disappointed and Evelyn felt a brief flare of regret. She didn’t want to hurt the techie, but she knew that in the long run this conversation was necessary. Even if it forced Judy to at least think about how she felt, acknowledge it, that would be enough.

"I could say the same to you. Seems like you’ve been keeping secrets too. From me and yourself."

"What secrets? What are you talking about?" Judy’s heart started to beat faster, afraid that she had been an open book this whole time and not only did everyone around her know what she couldn’t quite accept, V knew it too.

"Lying to yourself won't get you anywhere Judy. And neither will lying to me. Don't pretend you haven't noticed the way she looks at you, all doe-eyed and wide smiled. You're a smart girl, don't let her make a fool out of you. Check." Evelyn smirked as she looked down at the holo chessboard, aware that she was about to make her checkmate on two fronts. Judy would forgive her later. Her tone was blunt this time, but her comment too perceptive for Judy to handle.

_Fuck this gonk game._ Judy moved her king one square out of check, scowling at the board as her frustrations grew.

"It's all in your head, Ev. She's seein’ someone else so I highly doubt she thinks about me in that way. And besides, me and Maiko have only just broken up, I don't think I'm ready for a relationship yet.” She watched Evelyn’s pieces close in on her king yet again, huffing and crossing her arms defensively. “And sex isn't easy for me. It's output stuff, y'know? Didn't wanna become a doll for a reason. Sappy as it sounds, I want it to be special."

Evelyn snorted, placing Judy in check once again. "You tellin' me sex with Maiko was all candles and rose petals? I don't buy it." Her dislike of the other doll was evident in her voice, no longer holding back her true feelings from her now that Judy had seen her true colours.

"Maybe not by the end, but she did try on some occasions." Wherever Judy’s king moved, Evelyn’s army followed.

"Well colour me shook. I do mean it though. Don't ignore your feelings, otherwise it could be too late and you'll be left with emptiness and regrets." Judy looked up from the board at her friend who was inputting her next move, never meeting her eyes.

"Is that a hint of experience talking?" Judy saw her own opportunity to pry and certainly wanted to know more. Evelyn was such an enigma, no matter how well she thought she knew her, there was still not enough time in the world to break down all her layers. As far as she knew the doll didn’t do relationships or ‘sappy’ feelings, and yet seemed knowledgeable on the topic.

"A story for another time, Jude. Checkmate." Evelyn smiled triumphantly, leaning back in her chair with an infuriating swagger; the expression of someone who had won.

"Damn it! You did that on purpose!" Judy accused, jabbing her friend in the shoulder lightly.

"Maybe. But it wasn't just to win. Think you got enough footage, Bug?" Judy blinked, suddenly remembering the editor was also present and felt a blush creep up the back of her neck.

"Copy that. Terminating recs and jacking out."

"So, did it work?" Judy asked, wanting to change the subject now that T-Bug had returned to realspace. She forced herself to remember the whole point of today; she could worry about her messy feelings towards V later.

"Depends, are you gonna ask her out?" T-Bug smirked; apparently she had been listening in the whole time.

"I meant the BD!" Judy huffed and folded her arms, refusing to acknowledge either of the smug grins being thrown in her direction.

"Oh, hell no. Chip's gonna need a lot of technical alterations, that's way out of my realm of knowledge.” T-Bug shrugged. “Sorry Jude.”

"Fuck. Alright, I'll see what I can do. Got my next client soon so I gotta go. Lemme know if you figure anything out in the meantime.” Judy disappeared up the stairs towards to club, eager to escape any further prying from either woman, leaving Evelyn alone with T-Bug.

“So, did you get it everything?” Evelyn smirked. All pretences were dropped and a cynical smile crept across T-Bug’s face. That had gone even better than she had planned.

“I felt it _all._ Here, put this on.” T-Bug fitted her BD wreath to Evelyn’s head. “I feel bad for lying to her about the dual-scrolling, I doubt it’d work but she was so excited to try it and it was the perfect opportunity to do this.”

Evelyn had first thought of the idea the previous week while she had been down in the basement recording a new BD with T-Bug. In between shots her and T-Bug chatted idly. The editor told Evelyn about what she had witnessed when V had come to record her holo dance: the tension, the heated looks, Judy’s uncoordinated stumble, everything. Even that Judy had said it was the best performance that had been recorded at Lizzie’s – Evelyn was only mildly insulted. The two had quickly brainstormed a plan. If they could get Judy to talk about V while her chip was recording, her thoughts and feelings towards the new woman would be revealed. T-Bug already had plenty of evidence of V’s towards Judy from various BDs she’d been recording; she thought about the techie a lot. Evelyn had found it a significant challenge not to tease her rival with the information, but it would ruin her long-term plan.

“Likewise, but it’s alright. Sacrifices must be made for the greater good. Now come on, let’s dive in.” She nodded to T-Bug, and before she knew it reality was melting away and she was immersed in her friend’s memories.

* * *

Judy returned home from work that night, body exhausted from lack of sleep and too many dances. She was getting sick of this; she was going to have to make a serious break-through in the editing world if she wanted to give up her performer lifestyle. She had never planned to remain on this side of the profession. While all of her closest friends were performers or dolls, and she respected the passion and thrill they felt, it often left her feeling deflated. All she wanted to do was take a nice, hot bath and climb into bed. She knew V would be out and Meredith only ever returned in the dead-of-night, so she deemed it safe to escape home for an early night. Her stomach still twisted when she thought about the two of them together, so an evening to herself was definitely needed.

The apartment door slid open and it seemed that Judy just could not catch a break today. V was curled up on the couch in a foetal position, covered in a warm blanket with a steaming cup of chai tea on the coffee table. Judy wasn’t ready to deal with this right now; she was simply too tired. She had been avoiding V since the incident and there had been other occurrences since but none as violent as the first which was still imprinted on her brain. She wasn’t sure she could look V in the eye quite yet, not with the mixture of arousal and anger the memory caused.

“S’up Judy. How was your day?” V bolted up on the couch with a smile, trying to pretend that she hadn’t just been caught brooding, probably over a certain corpo.

“Exhausting. I just wanna pass out. Haven’t been sleepin’ well recently.” Her words were short, dropping her things by the door and leaning against the wall a little awkwardly. She didn’t just want to walk away from V, that would be rude not to mention unfair. It wasn’t her fault that Judy’s traitorous mind was making things uncomfortable between them.

A blush burned across V’s cheeks; her face riddled with guilt. Judy suspected that she knew exactly why she hadn’t been sleeping well. “Is there… anything I can do to help?”

“Maybe keep the noise down a little at night? That would be real helpful, actually.” Judy deadpanned, folding her arms tightly. She knew she was being defensive, but now that she was being confronted with V it was all pouring out.

“I-I’m so sorry. I really hoped you hadn’t heard anything.” V stammered awkwardly, looking away with such a downtrodden expression that Judy felt a surge of guilt. If they were going to have this conversation though, Judy was going to push, because she still wasn’t a hundred percent confident that V was even happy. Regardless of her own complicated emotions, V was still her friend. She could do this; have this conversation and be there for her.

“I definitely heard. A lot.” She sighed, hoping her tone didn’t give away how she truly felt about the whole thing.

When she looked up however, V’s eyes were watery even as she tried to avoid the Mox’s gaze, slumping back on the sofa and picking at the thread on the blanket. Judy instantly regretted bringing it up. “I… I told her to be quiet. She wouldn’t listen. She wouldn’t let me be quiet.” V’s voice broke a little towards the end and she looked away, a flash of what looked like shame filling her expression that immediately had Judy concerned. She hadn’t meant to make V regret her own experiences; even if she was dubious about them, it wasn’t her place.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. I’ve just had a long day. I shouldn’t have brought this up.” Judy sighed, the guilt now weighing heavily on her chest.

“No, you’re right to bring it up. It’s not okay. You’re going through a traumatic break-up and I’ve been so damn selfish. I should be comforting you, not the other way around. I’m a horrible choom.” Judy was at her side in an instant, hand gripping V’s and giving it an insistent squeeze until she met her eyes.

“Stop it, you’ve been amazing. I just…” Judy took a deep breath. It was now or ever. “I think you deserve better. The things I heard, they… had me worried, V. Worried about you.”

The realisation hit V fast. Judy was worried about her relationship with Meredith. Hadn’t she felt the same about her and Maiko for the last few weeks? But V and Meredith weren’t in a relationship so it was okay for her to treat her that way; after all, V let it happen. Had even liked it, once. Did she have a choice though? She wasn’t sure anymore. When she met Meredith, there was a big part of herself that had still been self-destructive from her chaotic past. She was used to being treated a certain way by all but a few people, Meredith’s manipulation was almost comfortingly familiar.

“Does she hurt you? Like, not in a good way?” Judy asked hesitantly, her eyes so full of worry that V was finding it increasingly difficult not to completely open up to her.

“It always starts out in a good way but then sometimes she takes it too far.” V frowned and looked down at the tea in her hands, the mug warming her palms and the aroma calming her nerves. She had never talked to anyone about Meredith.

“I see… do you not have a word or phrase for that? Something to let her know when it’s too much? It’s called a safe word, a good partner should establish it before gettin’ into um… that kinda stuff.” Judy blushed, feeling as if she had revealed a little too much about her own interests in the process. Between her work in the smut industry and her own tastes, she could already recognise where V’s explanation was going. Meredith was the type of person who always chose to abuse her power, and clearly that included during sex. It was completely different to Judy; yes, she got off on power, but only when it was freely given and fully consented to. She found her mind briefly wandering down the dangerous path of what it would be like to have V’s submission. It wasn’t a bad thought though, she wanted to show V exactly how a real domme should act.

“I know what a safe word is, I just didn’t think it was a thing outside of BDs. Didn’t know it was somethin’ people actually used.” V sipped her tea, deep in thought. “Most of the time, I… Well – I can’t speak to even use one.” Judy stared at her in disbelief before trying to school her expression into one of calm, even as her anger skyrocketed; there was absolutely no doubt in her mind now that Meredith had been taking advantage of her friend. She couldn’t believe V had been involved with kink without any established safe word or protection, to the extent that she didn’t believe they were even a real thing.

“Yeah a little pain is good, can even intensify the pleasure but you don’t actually want to hurt your partner. Not unless they’re into that, which by the way no judgement if you are. But… If one of you ain’t having fun, it shouldn’t be happening.” Judy lifted up V’s blanket and joined her under the warmth, wrapping her arms around the fragile woman carefully, unsure if her touch would be welcome just then.

V leaned into her touch, allowing herself to fully appreciate the affection. Cuddling was something she didn’t get to do often and yet she seemed to be ending up close to Judy like this with an increasing frequency, up until recently anyway. It was something she wanted, something she was starting to feel like she needed. She knew it could never be that way with Meredith and if she wanted things to change, she would have to do something about it herself.

“Are you ever… like this with her?” Judy bit her lip and it was almost as if she had just read V’s mind. She didn’t want to pry but she needed to confirm her thoughts.

“You mean cuddling?” V considered what Judy was asking. _Is it normal to do this after sex as well?_ Certainly not based on her experiences. The most she would get was a verbal pat on the back and a cigarette; and even then, only if she was lucky.

“Yeah. What happens after?”

“Normally she just leaves. Sometimes she’ll leave me bound for a little while until she feels like letting me out. Other times she’ll pass out from exhaustion or light me a cig. But we’ve never properly cuddled, at least…” V smiled sadly. “She’s never held me back.”

Judy struggled to prevent the anger from bubbling up inside of her; she was no good to V right now if she just exploded into fury. The things she heard that night was enough to tell her that their session had been intense for V. She needed grounding again afterwards, needed to be held as she came back to herself. Instead, Meredith had not only left her alone but left her still bound and helpless. By this point, Judy was seriously worried about what might happen if she laid eyes on the cold-hearted, corpo bitch ever again. Right then though, her priority needed to be the woman in her arms.

“I thought as much. That’s not okay, V, it’s not fair to you. You’re worth more than what you can give to other people. You deserve love, too.” V met her eyes, almost believing Judy’s words for a moment.

“Thanks, Jude. You always seem to know exactly what to say.” Judy smiled softly, her eyes starting to flutter closed from the exhaustion catching up to her. Her fatigue made her more honest than usual.

“Only with you it seems. Can never make any right decisions for myself.”

“I dunno, I think you’ve made a few good decisions recently. Feel like I’m startin’ to see the new and improved Judy Alvarez: a free woman.” V smiled back at her, finally perking up from her depressed mood. A loud rumbling from her stomach interrupted her next thought.

“Have you eaten recently?” Judy asked, already knowing what the answer was going to be.

“Would you be mad if I said no?”

“Maybe a little, but I’d be glad that you were honest. Let’s order somethin’. You earned it.” Judy opened up her holo and scrolled through the list of delivery stalls, reading a few off to V as she did.

“Hm… I think I’m in the mood for tacos, extra spicy.”

“You got it.” She placed the order through her holo. “Wanna watch a movie while we wait? I don’t really feel like movin’ from here.” She gestured to their tangled bodies beneath the blanket.

“Sure, you can pick which one this time.” Judy reached the remote and glanced through the available flicks. She was trying her hardest not to show how pleased she was that V made no effort to move away from their embrace. In fact, she shuffled slightly beside her until she was comfortable, head resting on Judy’s chest just below her chin, her arm tightening.

“How about Turbo Dracula?”

“Anything you want, I trust your judgement.” A part of her felt a twinge of guilt and worry that Meredith would walk in on them but the more V thought about it, the less she cared. She made herself more comfortable in Judy’s arms, already deciding she wasn’t going to move out of them for the rest of the night.

Judy was excited to share this movie with V. She had grown up playing the retro Turbo Dracula games, and had been overjoyed when they made it into a film. It was somewhat of a disaster when it came out yet had since turned into a cult classic and had quite the following. The flick let people experience the main story of the first game, following the famous undead plasma-thirsty prince resurrected into a cybernetics-enhanced body as he fought an increasingly ridiculous horde of enemies. It was just what they needed after the emotionally heavy conversation they’d just had; both women were soon laughing hysterically at the terrible effects and even worse script.

By the time the food had arrived, the atmosphere in the apartment was much lighter. The two friends quickly divvied out the food between them, though Judy kept stealing tortilla chips from V’s takeout box when she wasn’t looking. Little did she know, V had clocked her doing it the first time and simply hadn’t wanted to stop her. _It’s cute that she thinks she’s being sneaky._ When V took a bite of her taco she groaned in appreciation, suddenly realising just how hungry she was after her day spent moping. She made pleased noises with every bite, completely unaware of the way Judy’s heartbeat would pick up each time.

* * *

Evelyn had requested Jackie and Rita’s presence in a VIP suite after their shift. It was just past 4AM and Evelyn knew her accomplices would be locking up the bar soon. She was drawing on one of her fancy long cigarettes, a large bottle of expensive tequila sat proudly on the table as she leant back comfortably in the booth, exhausted after a long shift. And yet energy still buzzed through her; the thrill that came with another successful scheme beginning to fall into place. T-Bug was beside her, a glass of tequila on the rocks grasped in her palm which she took occasional sips from. They had been discussing plans for a future BD movie that T-Bug had been bouncing around with Evelyn starring as the lead role.

“You’ll have to pay me a hefty sum, Bug. The future _Evelyn Parker Acting Experience_ won’t come cheap, you know.” Evelyn smirked behind her cigarette. “although I suppose if I was working with one of the best directors in Night City, my prices could be negotiable.”

“Oh I will be, don’t you worry about that. Submitted one of my independent BD flicks to a corp couple of months back and they gave me bank for the script.” T-Bug grinned, showing Evelyn a datapad with the script on it. “We’d be a great team. Eddies’ll come rollin’ in, we could retire!”

Evelyn had spent most of her life working for that dream. She wanted to see her name in lights, and she was damn sure it would happen. Right now she was mostly working in smut BDs but that was fine, she was good at it and enjoyed it well enough. She loved feeling desired. Plus, she was beginning to rub shoulders with some seriously powerful players in Night City.

The door to the booth slid open and Jackie and Rita stepped inside, equally tired after their long night guarding the doors and turning away certain dodgy characters. They had been working under mounting pressure from the Tyger Claws attacks; another dollhouse had been attacked a few days previously. The targets seemed to be getting closer to Lizzie’s with each attack, as if the Tyger Claws were drawing a violent, bloody line right to their front door.

“What’s up chicas, that tequila all for me?” Jackie grabbed the bottle off the table examining it. “Fancy, Ev. What’s the occasion?”

T-Bug and Evelyn exchanged knowing smiles.

“I gotta delta, good to see you all. Let me know if anything changes.” T-Bug winked at Evelyn and polished off her drink. She had enjoyed her part in the performer’s scheme and was more than happy to offer her services again.

“See ya, Bug. I locked the main entrance so you’ll have to take the back door.” Rita informed her colleague.

T-Bug raised an eyebrow with a laugh, “Haven’t taken the back door in years, but I’ll do it for you, Wheeler.” She disappeared down the corridor towards the exit without another word, leaving Rita to flounder in surprise behind her.

Evelyn noticed Rita’s face darken with embarrassment, much to her own amusement. The actress smirked while maintaining eye contact with the Mox; it wasn’t often someone managed to make Rita Wheeler blush.

“Ha! She’s funny. I should hang out with her.” Jackie poured himself a glass of tequila and funnelled some ice cubes into it.

“Shut it Welles or I’ll grab my bat! Why are we here? I highly doubt you’d call this semi-official meeting just for a drink?” Rita stole Jackie glass and downed the cold liquid in one swift motion, allowing its temperature to hopefully cool her heated cheeks. She placed it back down in front of him for a refill, which he obliged.

“It’s to talk about our dear friends, Judy and V.” Evelyn informed, calm and poised as usual. She had decided after viewing Judy’s BD for herself that she needed to get some more partners in crime on board with her plans, and who better than her two favourite gossips? The pair spent most of their shift talking about Judy and V already, they had information Evelyn herself didn’t always have. It was why she made sure to stop by for their chats regularly. They would be useful for the next stage of her plan, and besides, they were equally invested in getting their friends together as she was.

V needed to break things off with her other woman, and fast. She had felt Judy’s unfiltered, raw emotions in the memory BD they recorded. While it was largely what she had expected (a lot of mushy feelings mixed in with intense attraction), she had noticed other things that helped her realise just how conflicted Judy was feeling. Evelyn felt the pain, sadness and loss that weighed her down since leaving Maiko and moving in with V. She felt the jealousy and anger directed towards V’s mistress burning inside her, threatening to overflow. The worst thing she felt was the longing for V. A longing for love, stability, real human connection. Judy deserved to be happy and Evelyn wanted to help make that happen. She still felt guilty for the night she had drunkenly outed Judy in front of V and Jackie, even though she stood by her reasons of wanting V to know so she would help her protect her friend. It had worked too, considering how quickly V had offered the techie somewhere to stay. But still, Evelyn wanted to be sure she wouldn’t betray her like that ever again.

“So here’s the deal. Me and T-Bug have managed to get access to the way the two hopeless lovebirds feel about each other. Hint, it’s a lot of sexual tension and messy feelings. Now, we need to work out a way of just nudging them in the right direction…”

* * *

Judy settled down into the warm bath that she had been fantasising about all day. Her evening with V had been a good destress, despite their earlier tension. This was just the icing on the cake. She sparked up one of her ‘spicy’ cigarettes, as V had affectionately named them, and took a long drag. This was exactly what she needed. Feeling her muscles start to relax from the heat of the water and the effects of the drug kicking in, she allowed her mind to wander freely. Her thoughts unwillingly drifted to Maiko. She wondered when she would hear from her ex-output again, whether she would ever hear from her again. Judy didn’t think Maiko would be the one to reach out and if she wanted things to become amicable between them, she would have to be the initiator of that conversation. Most of her possessions that weren’t in her lock-up were still in Maiko’s apartment (or at least, she hoped they were) some of which she could really use having back. She particularly missed her collection of X-rated BDs, not that those were in short supply at work; but sometimes a girl needed to unwind in the comfort of her home. Judy sighed at the loss. It wouldn’t stop her if she put her mind to it but the stimulation from a BD definitely helped get things going.

********

Her thoughts drifted to V and their earlier conversation. Judy was furious to learn about the way Meredith had treated the woman. It was unacceptable to call yourself a domme and yet have no respect for your sub, in Judy’s professional opinion. Now she was reflecting, she found herself becoming more than a little turned on as her mind wandered down a rabbit hole of what it would be like for V to submit to her. She remembered the breathy, intense moans drifting through the apartment, the slaps, the repeated thudding of the headboard against the wall. _God, I bet V is such a good sub, she’d take it all._ Judy felt briefly guilty knowing that she was almost too good, considering she wouldn’t even tell Meredith to stop. _What had she said? Something about not being able to speak?_ The image of V bound and gagged lingered in her mind, and another rush of heat threatened to overwhelm her. She already had contingency plans in place for if her partner couldn’t speak to say the safe word, she would never push V past her own limits. She would make sure that she always felt comfortable with Judy in charge. Hopefully more than comfortable.

She wondered whether being a sub was always V’s choice or if it was just forced on her by terrible lovers; after all, Judy knew how that felt. Her relationship with Maiko had been a prime example. Judy felt naturally more dominant in the bedroom and had been so with previous partners but there was no room for argument with the doll, she got off on power in every aspect. The few times Judy had the courage to attempt to dominate her were met with sneers and abuse. She didn’t mind subbing, actually found herself enjoying it on a few occasions, but it was just the lack of choice that frustrated her. She wondered whether V felt the same. _I’d let her to spank me. I’d let her do anything she wanted._

Judy stubbed out her joint, the heat between her legs now too intense to ignore. She was hyperaware of the fact that V was close by in the apartment so made a mental note to be quiet; she wouldn’t want to be a hypocrite after all. It had been a while since she masturbated. She hadn’t risked it since moving in with V, unsure of quite how thin the walls were until recently. She started off slow, testing the waters of self-control. Judy settled comfortably in the bath, slowly gliding her hands along her thighs, trailing up her stomach and skimming her breasts as her hands made their way up to her chest. She rolled her right nipple between her thumb and forefinger, massaging her spider-web covered breast with her other hand. Closing her eyes and tilting her head back, she tried to summon an image of someone that wasn’t V into her brain. Judy settled on a random face from one of her recently edited BDs, a gorgeous woman covered in tattoos.

Already feeling a simmer of arousal tingling through her body, her nipples pebbled and well-stimulated, she trailed her right hand slowly down her stomach across the plain of her abs until it settled just below her cat tattoo. Her nails teasingly ran across the inside of her thigh, a flash of a certain performer’s chrome fingers in their place sending a pulsing heat directly to her core. She continued their path across the curve of her hip bone; teasing, tempting, until she couldn’t take any more. Her index finger slipped down and gently grazed through her wet folds. Judy choked back a moan, her eyes opening slightly to remind herself where she was. When they closed again, she began to draw small circles over her sensitive nub, biting her lip to prevent any further sounds escaping. She remembered how wet she had been while watching V’s holo performance, the way she stripped, the filthy drops and the lingering scent of sweat in the air. The intense, electric eye contact they had maintained throughout that made it feel like V was dancing just for her. She wanted to taste her, bite her neck and tell her how much of a good girl she was. Judy could just imagine how V would moan at those words; she was sure the woman would have a praise kink, based on her need to please others.

The pace on her clit quickened as she imagined V underneath her, writhing, begging for more, fists tightly gripping the sheets and this time Judy couldn’t hold back her moans, and couldn’t bring herself to care. Replacing her index finger with her thumb whilst moving the other finger down towards her entrance, she teased it with a few gentle strokes. It wasn’t enough; she needed more. Sliding two fingers inside her, she gasped and set her thumb to work on her clit, the pressure inside her rapidly building. The thought of her hips grinding and thrusting against V flooded her mind, wondering how it would feel to be the wearer of the sensory strap-on instead of the receiver. Imagining how V would feel around her, hot and impossibly wet, taking everything Judy gave her had her hurtling towards her climax. Before she knew it, she was coming, echoes of V’s moans ringing in her ears and prolonging her pleasure further. She slowly came down, chest rising and falling rapidly as she fought to catch her breath, letting her soaked fingers slip out of her centre, She rested her head back against the tub, eyes closed, trying desperately to banish further images of her roommate from her mind before she became worked up again.


	8. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Susie Q asks Evelyn, V and Judy to record a BD together. Sexual tension ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pure smut to see you through to the next update. Thanks to the wonderful [Hexpresso](https://archiveofourown.org/users/corchen/pseuds/Hexpresso) for beta reading!

It had all come to a head a few nights ago. Susie Q had arranged for the club’s top performers to record a BD together in another sensible marketing strategy from the Mox’s leader. Judy was resistant to the idea at first; Susie had wanted a third person to record the BD while Evelyn and V performed. T-Bug flat out refused, her discomfort too much to be passing onto customers without a lot of fine tuning. Judy reluctantly agreed on the conditions that she could edit this one alone, without T-Bug. Terms agreed, now all she had to do was wait.

Judy tinkered with the settings on her recording implant nervously, sat on the single chair in the centre of the room. T-Bug was hidden behind her large computer rig, the sounds of her tapping away on her keyboard and the low humming of the machines in the room making the wait seem more agonising. She just wanted to get this over with - without being a horny mess. Judy didn’t know how she was going to handle V touching her, bare skin brushing against her clothes. Then, there was Evelyn. She had recorded and performed in BDs with her friend before and it had been fine, if a little awkward at times, but they made the best of it and had a laugh. This was something completely new though, her best friend and the woman who had been dominating her thoughts for the last few months. _How the fuck am I gonna get through this?_

Judy heard the clicking of high heels against the stairs outside and her heart stopped for a moment, she was out of time to pull herself together. Susie had insisted that she wanted the moment when Judy first saw the performers to be captured on the BD, to catch her genuine reaction. She wondered whether this was all just a set up to embarrass her.

“Shooting in 3…2…1…” Judy informed T-Bug who gave her a thumb up from behind the monitors. She began the recording, holding her breath, wiping her sweaty palms against her jeans. T-Bug played a little mood music over the speakers in an attempt to relax Judy and cut through some of the tension. The air in the basement suddenly felt a lot thicker, the musky smell of the dank corner of Lizzie’s no longer comforting and familiar. This felt like completely unknown territory.

Evelyn entered first, wearing a white lacy corset with a zip that ran directly through the centre of the piece. The sides of the garment were made up of mesh panels, exposing smooth, pale skin. Her underwear left little to the imagination, a thong barely covering her front and completely exposing her rear. On her legs were a pair of stockings with suspenders attached to the bodice and a pair of killer 6-inch heels. Judy felt a flush of arousal, she was only human after all, followed by shame. She tried to reign it in as she knew she was allowed to feel those things for her friend in this very specific scenario – hell it was even encouraged. What she wasn’t prepared for was V entering a moment later wearing an identical outfit but in an onyx black colour scheme. The arousal flooded over her like a tidal wave of stimulation, her mouth running dry, inhaling the sweet smell of V’s and Evelyn’s perfumes combined as they surrounded her chair.

The blue haired Mox wasted no time in straddling the techie’s lap, leaning down and whispering in her ear. “I hope you can keep it in your pants for long enough to get the footage we need. I’ve got a bet with your little roommate here that I need to win. Feel free to edit this out by the way, wouldn’t want it to end up in the wrong hands.” Evelyn kissed behind Judy’s ear as she pulled away and swung her head back, clamping her thighs against Judy’s. “Touch me.” She instructed, pulling Judy’s hands up and over her breasts, the thin lace barely concealing the curve and point of her nipples through the meagre fabric. Judy’s heart stopped when she felt another pair of arms encircle her from behind and hot lips on the other side of her neck.

“It’s a shame I have to share you tonight; things would be happening a little differently if it was just you and me here. Never mind, there’s always next time…” V purred in her ear, sending hot shivers down Judy’s spine. _Is she serious or playin’ the part? Fuck._

Judy let out an involuntary moan and watched Evelyn’s eyes shoot up to V’s, cursing under her breath. They were what, less than a minute in? She was already losing her cool. But she supposed that was key to the role she was playing in this BD. So… She was just doing her job.

Evelyn ground down against Judy’s clothed thighs once, twice, pressing her front fully against Judy as the techie felt V’s fingers trailing along her neck, collarbones then down her arms. As Evelyn stepped away and swayed in front of her, V’s hands began to trace a path down Judy’s chest, fingers dipping teasingly into the valley of her breasts. The doll in front of her spun and bent over, allowing her hands to run along her thighs as her ass waved in front of her. The combination of the sight and V’s hot breath on her neck had Judy squirming, torn between awkwardness and an intense arousal.

With a brush of blunt nails over the swell of her breasts, V left her position from behind Judy to join Evelyn; Judy’s gaze was helpless to do anything but follow. Her stocking-covered legs seemed longer than ever in the heels she wore, both highlighting their curve and the tendons of muscles that stood out as she walked. She swallowed a gasp when the two performers met in the middle of the room, and, without a word exchanged, their hands drew each other in. V’s fingers curled around Evelyn’s hips while the doll’s fisted in her hair, dragging their lips together demandingly. Judy didn’t know where to look, but certainly couldn’t look away. Had they planned this?

The kiss was an obvious battle for dominance and Judy’s attention, both women gripping at each other as they tried to gain the upper hand. Judy was sure she heard a surprised moan slip past V’s lips when Evelyn tugged her hair a certain way, the blue haired Mox was smirking with triumph. Their hands roamed each other’s bodies. Evelyn would hike V’s leg up around her waist, forcing the other woman to cling to her as their centres pressed into each other. In retaliation, V’s nails scratched down the doll’s back to grab her ass, kneading the flesh appreciatively and grinning when the blue-haired woman gasped.

V broke away first, catching her breath as her darkened eyes returned to Judy and she slunk closer, slowly lowering herself onto the techie’s lap. Judy forgot how to breathe, her entire vision zeroing in on the nearly naked performer. Evelyn watched the scene unfold with triumph, and maybe a little arousal, before she strutted over to stand behind V, hands beginning to brush along the other woman’s torso where she sat in Judy’s lap, dragging a nail across her throat.

V began to rotate her hips, only just brushing down against Judy’s lap in light strokes as she caught the Mox’s hands and slowly dragged them up her sides, guiding them over the thin fabric. Their eyes were locked, breath coming in quick, short gasps. As Judy’s hands reached her breasts, V released her grip, allowing Judy’s hands to stay as her nipples began to pebble under the touch. The techie’s hands were roaming V’s hips, fingers trailing over exposed skin with growing boldness, drinking in every gasp and shudder of hips she could elicit from the woman in her lap.

Between Judy’s touch burning a path along her inner thighs and Evelyn’s on her neck and upper chest, V was at risk of losing focus, fast. Fighting to regain her control of the situation before her performance went off the rails, she gripped the zip at the top of her corset and dragged it down torturously slowly. Judy’s eyes were locked on each inch of newly exposed skin, biting down on her lip to suppress a whimper when she imagined mapping the exposed tattoos with her tongue. Could almost picture how V would react to her.

“– Cut!” She distantly heard T-Bug’s exasperated shout, and realised that at some point, the music had stopped. Still, she continued to stare at V, her eyes slowly following the path of the revealed skin back up to her face. She found the performer staring back at her, eyes burning and a slight flush colouring her cheeks.

“For fuck sake. Can you two stop eye-fucking each other and focus on why we're actually here?” Evelyn’s snide voice cut in, much louder and closer than T-Bug from where she loomed behind the pair, one eyebrow raised in challenge. She looked rather pleased with herself.

“Judy, this is a joint performance. As in, V _and_ Evelyn. You need to watch them both.” Was that amusement in T-Bug’s tone? Judy jerked her gaze away, suddenly avoiding V’s eye as she coughed and ran a hand through her hair.

“Preem, let's hurry and get this over with.” She insisted, resolving to keep her composure from here on out. After all, she could always watch it back later while she edited and revisit the demanding pressure in her core.

Minutes later things were pulled to a stop again. The scene this time found V with her back to Judy, ass pressed down against the Mox’s centre, revelling in the feeling of Judy’s hands flexing around her hips in a bruising grip, holding her there demandingly. Her hand had just brushed up V’s spine, admiring the way the performer arched her back in response, and knotted into the base of her hair and tugged back. V’s answering groan rang out through the silent room.

" - Cut! God damn it you two." T-Bug was clearly getting more annoyed at the time it was taking to scroll what should have been a simple BD. "We're gonna have to shake things up a bit if we wanna have any usable footage at all for Suze." T-Bug scratched her chin for a moment in thought. "Ev, will you record?"

Judy's eyes widened. _Oh shit_. She could not do this right now, she was already excessively aroused, if she had to touch V and have V touch her, she wouldn't be able to hold back, recording or not.

"With pleasure. At least one of us is a professional here. There's an outfit in the dressing room upstairs, same as mine, should fit you. Go, quickly."

"I can record, it's okay, I've got this under control." Judy tried one more time to plead her case.

"I'm not wasting any more time on this, just do it, Jude." T-Bug was final in her decision, she was lead editor after all and Judy had to respect that.

V had been silent the whole time, her face flushed with embarrassment and panic. Judy shrugged at her apologetically before finally giving in and heading upstairs to the dressing room.

She found the outfit Evelyn had left for her, it was conveniently in Judy's size, not her friend's which made her even more suspicious that the whole thing was a ruse. It was fine, she could play along with their little game. She would get her back somehow.

Once she was dressed, she returned to the basement. Evelyn now sat in the chair she was in previously. Judy took a deep breath and crossed the threshold. Her eyes met V's who was stood behind Evelyn, a light blush threatening to redden her cheeks. _Swallow it down, the sooner this is over, the better._

The music started again. Judy crossed the room, mimicking her friend's movements and settled down in her lap. She leaned over and kissed along her jawbone to her ear, whispering something inaudible to V.

"I fuckin' hate you sometimes." She nipped Evelyn's earlobe and pulled back; a devilish smirk now proudly displayed across her friend's face. "Touch me." Judy echoed Evelyn's movements and V followed suit, their routine starting almost identically to how it had before, all was going well until Judy realised what she was going to have to do next.

V moved out from behind Evelyn and grabbed Judy's hips from behind, twisting her around to face her before crashing their lips together in a heated kiss, teeth and tongues clashing. It wasn't how she had fantasised her first kiss with V being. Sure, she had fantasised about this particular scenario a lot, just never in these circumstances. She let out a ragged moan as V's hand spanked across her ass cheek, teeth tugging at her lower lip, demanding a response. Her leg was hoisted up around V's waist and Judy entangled her hands through the performer's hair, pulling away from the kiss to trail her lips down her neck, sucking and tugging on the soft flesh she found there. This earned her hoarse cry of approval from the performer who leaned into her touch, hands now firmly gripping the techie's ass. Judy bucked her hips against V's hot, inviting core with another breathy gasp, feeling how wet she was getting and hoping V couldn't feel it through the damp fabric covering her sex. She couldn't control her actions when V's hand snaked around from behind her and started slowly trailing down the plane of her torso and towards her-

" - Cut!" Evelyn's loud voice so close to them cut through their tension and broke then apart instantly. Her legs were crossed and she was tapping her foot disapprovingly. "This is never gonna work, Bug. You need to get some professionals in."

A frustrated groan and a bang of a headset clashing against the desk startled Judy, turning away from V to face T-Bug, hoping to find some sympathy from her mentor.

"She's right. This session is over. Susie won't be happy." T-Bug didn't show her face from behind her rig and Judy knew she had pissed her off. "Better get back upstairs, customers'll be waiting."

Judy huffed as she stomped her way out of the room. _Whose idea was this anyway? I didn't wanna be a part of this and now they’re pissed at me?_

"Jude, wait up." V had followed her up the stairs and caught her hand. "I'm sorry. I told Bug it was all my fault. I don't want you to take the blame. If she wants to be pissed at someone, she can be pissed at me."

"What? You did nothing wrong; you were just doing your job. Like I was supposed to be doing mine." Judy stopped on the stairs, turning to be face to face with V who was on the step below her. The arousal clearly hadn't faded away as she noticed the proximity to V's lips and the ache between her legs prodding her to move closer.

"Everyone has off days, maybe you were a little distracted..." V trailed off, biting her lip. _Is she flirting with me?_

"Yeah I guess my head was somewhere else." She leaned in closer, her lips a mere few centimetres away from the other performer's.

"Hey fuck faces, you guys look hot! Bit risky though bangin' in a public stairwell, don't you think?" Rita Wheeler always had impeccable timing, a wide grin spread across her face as she appeared from the doorway at the top of the stairs and began her descent.

"Fuck off, Wheeler." Judy huffed.

"So is this an invitation-only fuck or can I join in?" Rita stopped on the stairs, forcing Judy and V to back up against the wall, the teasing smile never quite leaving her lips.

"We're not fucking, just leaving." V confirmed as she followed Judy up a few steps.

"Aw, well, whatever helps you sleep at night!" Rita called out from the basement with a chuckle.


	9. Paradigm Shift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meredith pushes a boundary. Judy makes everything better. Mama Welles can't read a room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to [Hexpresso](https://archiveofourown.org/users/corchen/pseuds/Hexpresso) for beta reading (and giving us this cool chapter title).
> 
> !TW! Dub-Con BDSM Relationship marked between ****

V was on a high after another successful shift at Lizzie's. She had quickly become one of the most popular performers in the short time that she had worked there, only just behind the ever-popular Evelyn Parker. Judy was working the night shift meaning she wouldn't catch up with the techie until probably tomorrow afternoon. The few weeks since she moved in had flown by so quickly. Judy seemed to be doing better every day; sometimes she would be grumpy and need space which V suspected was when she was triggered by her ex. But still, V felt inspired by her small transformations, wanting to work on herself more too. She put some distance between herself and Meredith as her first step of self-care. She was beginning to realise that the relationship was always going to be one-sided and unhealthy for her.

Meredith had been relentless though, taking her possessiveness and flirtation to the next level, especially when Judy was present. She had kissed her in front of someone else for the first time in their relationship last week. V was sure it was because Judy had been with her; Meredith didn’t _do_ affection. V resisted her advances mostly but still, she was only human. In a few moments of alcohol-induced weakness and loneliness V had fallen back into bed with the corpo; it always left her with the bitter taste of shame and regret almost immediately afterwards. She at least tried harder to keep it down so she wouldn't feel guilty for disturbing Judy again. As her and Meredith had grown apart, Judy and V had become closer.

When she arrived home, she grabbed herself a bedtime shot of whiskey from the kitchen counter. The room was quiet save for the distant thrumming of music from a neighbouring apartment. V made her way to her bedroom door, yawning and rubbing her eyes. Little did she know, she wouldn't be sleeping that night.

The door to V's bedroom slid open. Tied on her bed using the restraints she was all too familiar with, was a naked man, blind-folded and gagged. V froze, her mouth hanging agape for a second, neither person had detected her presence. Disgust, humiliation - it all surged up at once. Meredith had brought her new sub back to _her_ bed. V expected that she wasn't the sole object of her desires but to use her bedroom for it? That was surely too far.

"What the fuck are you doing in my room?" V dropped her bag loudly with a thump.

********

"It’s about time you came home. I didn’t want to start without you but I didn’t know how long you’d be." Meredith turned to face the woman in the doorway, strap-on hanging between her legs and bottle of lube in hand. "Brought myself a new toy to play with.” The corpo smirked in her usual cold and disaffected way. V couldn’t believe this was happening, it was so typically Meredith and yet she was somehow surprised.

“Meredith, you know I’m not interested in guys.” She stated matter-of-factly.

“You do what I tell you, pet, you’re mine. You’re going to get on this bed and take everything we give you, like a good girl. We’re not here for you to have a good time, remember your place.”

It didn't matter that she had been questioning their relationship herself recently. It didn't matter that she had started to realise she wanted more than what Meredith would ever give her. She felt like a total gonk for not seeing something like this coming. She had put months into their relationship, or whatever it was, trying to get Meredith to notice her beyond a useful bit of stress relief. An unwelcome sting of hurt made her eyes burn and she blinked furiously, willing herself not to cry. She wasn't going to give the corpo the satisfaction.

Meredith, meanwhile, still hadn't moved and continued to survey V as if planning her next business trade. There wasn't a trace of regret in her expression, the strap-on still hung between her legs and the man was helplessly tied to V's bed. Between the blindfold, gag and earplugs he wore, he had no clue what was going on. Probably didn't even know that this wasn't Meredith's room.

"Don't be like that, kitten. We can still play, no one has to know... not even your little joytoy. And unlike her I can give you what you want and I already know _exactly_ what you need." Meredith still wasn't getting it. She truly believed that she had V completely helpless and ready to take anything, but this time she had pushed too far.

V thought back to her conversation with Judy the week before when the Mox had confronted her about her relationship with Meredith. Judy said something that had stuck out in her mind, the words swirling around her head like an echo. _If one of you ain’t having fun, it shouldn’t be happening._ V certainly wasn’t having fun here; this was a hard limit. She wasn’t about to ignore her sexuality for Meredith. She knew who she was, had accepted it years ago.

"If you and your fuck buddy aren't out of my room in the next two minutes, I'm tossing all of your shit out this fucking window- get out! Not just this room, but the whole goddamn apartment. You don't live here anymore." V spun on her heel without another word and stormed out if the room. She still felt the sick churning in her stomach and pressure behind her eyes, but she wouldn't allow herself to feel anything until she was sure Meredith was gone. For good this time. V took calming breaths as she sat on the couch, back firmly facing her bedroom door and trying desperately to ignore the whispers and complaining coming from the room behind.

"Call me when you realise your pet can't make you cum - or better yet, maybe I can give her some lessons myself." Meredith maintained her usual swagger, and V felt another stab to the chest. She didn't even care that she was losing V. She had meant nothing to the cold corpo bitch.

********

V felt her shoulders sag in relief when she heard the click of the front door sliding closed. She didn't know where Meredith would go, and she didn't care. Probably try and mooch off her new sub now that she'd lost her main victim. V's head fell into her hands and she took a shuddering breath, the hurt now crashing down on her once she was alone. She couldn't believe she had allowed herself to get to this point where her emotions had become tangled in what was meant to be a no-strings-attached, sex-only relationship. Meredith had been clear she wasn't looking for more but had still manipulated V’s emotions enough to make her fall for her, even if only a bit. She didn't love Meredith, but that didn't mean she didn't feel like she'd been stomped on by the woman. And to think that she'd almost come between her growing relationship with Judy as well.

It could have been hours later when V's holo trilled, jerking her out of her spiralling, self-deprecating thoughts. Judy's name on her screen wasn't quite enough to pull her from her defeated slump though.

_Judy Alvarez: Work is boring without you. Can't wait to come home. Have you had dinner yet? :)_

She smiled briefly. Ever since that day Judy had found her wallowing on the couch, the techie had taken to checking in with her at least once a day to make sure she was eating. It was ridiculously endearing. If she was going to be honest about _all_ of her feelings today, then she could admit that her infatuation with Judy was quickly getting out of hand. The Mox had just gone through a traumatic breakup from an abusive relationship. She needed a friend, not someone as messed up and conflicted as V. Especially not now dealing with the fall out of her own breakup - if it could even be called that.

She decided not to reply. Not until she had her head in order and could be the type of friend that Judy needed right then. She shouldn’t be worrying about having to look after V on top of everything else she was already going through.

V shook her head to rid herself of thoughts about Judy, and instead of getting dinner poured herself another shot. She would be responsible tomorrow. Tonight, she just needed to get drunk enough to forget the idea of Meredith fucking someone else in her bed. The thought alone made her sick. There was no way she could face going into that room again anytime soon, let alone sleep there. With that thought in mind she downed her shot and brought the bottle with her to the coffee table. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

As soon as her shift at Lizzie's was over, Judy was out the door. She hadn't heard from V all night and couldn't help the niggling worry in the back of her mind that something was wrong. V always replied to her; even when she was working she would find time to reply. So the fact that it had been hours and it was now early morning with still no reply was unexpected.

"In a hurry, Punchin' Judy? V got you at her beck and call?" Susie Q’s dry sense of humour was not something Judy wanted to deal with right before she left.

"Nope, I'm just headin' home." She said absentmindedly, checking her holo again on the off chance that she had simply missed V’s reply. There was nothing.

"So, V's your home now? Do I hear wedding bells in Lizzie’s chapel?" Susie couldn’t keep the smile off her face when Judy’s cheeks darkened.

“I doubt it.”

“Why? Don’t you think you deserve happiness?” The question caught Judy completely off-guard. Why was Susie being nice to her all of a sudden? Not to mention scarily perceptive. But she supposed the woman did hear about most of the goings on in the bar. “You hung ‘round here more often before you moved in with her. Was starting to think you were tryin’ to avoid something. But look at you now, leaving work on time and not hiding out in the basement for days.” Susie folded her arms, leaning against the doorway of her office.

“I… was just busy.” Judy didn’t want to divulge all of her trauma onto her boss, not while she was trying to prove something to her, to the Moxes. Loyalty and strength.

“Mhm, you’ve been workin’ real hard for the gang. Your BDs have been on the rise, some of them are more popular than Bug’s now. Maybe we’ll have to get a second rig down there. What d’ya think?” Susie smiled when Judy’s expression completely turned around.

“Are you kiddin’ me? I’d love that, Suze. A lot.” Judy couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

“Think it could be a good move for you and for Lizzie’s. We can chat more about this next time you’re in. Get home safe, Jude.” Susie Q nodded her head at her before dipping back into her office.

This was the break Judy had been waiting for, a ticket out of performing and into her true passion, editing. She couldn’t wait to tell V.

* * *

The door to their apartment opened and Judy slipped in quietly, hoping she wasn't going to walk into another V and Meredith session. She hadn't heard much from them over the last few weeks, not since her outburst at V, but assumed it was still going on based on the few days her friend had been mopey and clearly in pain. She still worried about the treatment V was getting from the corpo but having already mentioned it once, she wasn't going to push. She knew from her experience with Maiko that V had to reach the point of breaking it off herself. She had been alarmed by multiple things V had mentioned during their conversation about her relationship, things which she had mentioned so casually as if they were normal. She had to give her new roommate time to help herself though. For now, she would just be a supportive shoulder to lean on. When, or if, things did come to an end however, Judy planned on having a _very_ long discussion with the performer around limits, consent, and safe words. 

Relieved at the silence that met her, she flicked on the light for the main room and immediately noticed a figure hunched up on the sofa under a blanket, blearily opening her eyes.

"V? What are you doing there?" Judy's eyes immediately widened as she saw her friend, clearly not asleep in her own bed, and hurried over to the couch. She crouched down in front of her, noticing her slightly swollen eyes and blotchy complexion.

"What's going on? Are you hurt?"

Her eyes were already scanning for any sign of injury even as anger began to rise inside her. She knew Meredith was to blame for whatever state V was in, and she had a brief but satisfying image of swinging her fist straight into the corpo's face. She was beginning to gain a new appreciation for Evelyn, and the things her best friend must have experienced every time she had been hurt by Maiko.

"M'fine. Go to bed, you've had a long night.”

V dismissed, refusing to meet her eyes. Her tone was flat, so lifeless compared to the usual warmth and energy it was infused with that Judy's concern only increased. She’s become familiar with many of V’s moods over the last few weeks: playful, energetic, sad, hurt. She had seen her on a high after a particularly good performance, and exhausted after a rough night with Meredith. She hadn’t seen her like this before though.

"V, I don't like it when you lie to me. Something's wrong. _Háblame por favor_."

She reached her hand out and tried to tilt V's face to meet her worried eyes, but the performer jerked away from her touch, hunching into herself even more. Judy, recognising that she needed space, immediately moved back.

"You don't have to deal with my shit. Please, just... Go to sleep. I don't deserve your pity." V sounded so defeated, but it only served to increase Judy's determination to be there for her.

She got up wordlessly and made her way to the kitchen even as she kept an eye on the woman curled up on the couch. She didn't move once, simply closed her eyes again and pretended to sleep. Judy wondered if V had assumed she would leave just because she'd asked her to. Unfortunately, she was stubborn when she wanted to be and right now she could tell her friend needed her. V had been there for her unwaveringly, had offered her a place to live, _for free_ , without a second thought. There was no chance Judy wasn’t going to look after her now.

A few minutes later she walked back over to the couch, placing two steaming mugs of tea on the coffee table and sitting down beside her friend. She didn't try to touch her again but sat close enough that V could reach for her if she wanted to. Instead she tucked her legs under her and made herself comfortable, before meeting V's questioning eyes.

"We don't have to talk about it but I'm not leaving you here alone." Judy said simply, lips quirking up into a small smile when she heard V muttering about how stubborn she was being. It wasn’t the first time she had heard it and doubted it would be the last.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, and just as Judy began to wonder whether V had fallen back to sleep, the woman spoke.

"She's gone. Meredith's gone."

The words were quiet, but they echoed around the silent room. Judy felt a small surge of hope at the idea that she wouldn’t have to deal with the vicious corpo anymore, wouldn't have to watch her lay her hands on V and flirt with her whenever she was around. But she pushed that down; this wasn't about her. Whether or not V would admit it, she had felt something for the older woman and she was well within her right to be upset over the fact it had ended.

"What happened?"

She was still unclear about why V was out here and not in her room but wanted to give the performer a chance to tell her in her own time.

"Found her fuckin' some corpo." V replied hoarsely, eyes tearing up again before she looked away, seeing the pity on Judy's expression. "In _my_ bed. Told me I had to join in. Told me I didn’t have a choice." She added, hands fisting as she experienced the anger and betrayal again.

Judy couldn't believe Meredith's degree of carelessness. Everything was a game to her, there was no other explanation. Clearly she had never cared about V if she had gone out of her way to spite her like that. Judy just didn't understand what she gained from it. If anything, she had lost more than she had gained because she'd pushed V away. Even if she didn't care for her, Judy knew Meredith at least wanted V otherwise she wouldn't have acted so possessive whenever she was around. On the other hand, Judy had quickly learned that V was a very physically affectionate person when she allowed herself to be, all gentle touches and warm hugs, so having a relationship so devoid of affection didn’t seem right. She needed more than possessive actions and tactical touches.

"I... I'm so sorry V, that's beyond terrible."

Judy reached for her, hoping she wouldn't recoil this time, and to her surprise, she didn't. Her hand covered V’s, lacing their fingers together and giving her fingers a gentle squeeze.

"Have you slept at all?" She examined the deep bags under her eyes and already had her answer.

"I can't go back in there. I don't even wanna be in this apartment." V blinked rapidly, taking a shuddering breath as she leant into Judy's touch even though she felt undeserving of it. "I thought... I thought I at least meant something to her, maybe she had one tiny shred of respect for me. But I guess I was wrong."

"Listen to me. She has no idea what she's lost, _who_ she's lost. You deserve so much more than what she could ever give you, V. She's a stupid fuckin' gonk." That made V smile at least for a second. "You deserve happiness, you deserve to be loved. No one should treat you the way she did, never again. Do you hear what I'm saying?"

V nodded, finally letting her head fall completely into Judy’s lap, keeping their hands entwined between them. “Mhm. Hard time believin’ it but I’ll try. For you.”

“That’s all I can ask.” Judy ran her fingers through V’s short red hair, smiling down at her.

Judy’s heart had broken the moment she found out what happened. The memories of the night of her own break up still haunted her waking and sleeping thoughts and she felt a ghostly ache of her own hurt. Judy couldn’t remember the last time she had a good sleep, certainly not anytime in the past few months. She yawned unconsciously, exhaustion was creeping in and she couldn’t even imagine how tired V must have been. Working a full shift at Lizzie’s and then staying up for the entire duration of Judy’s own shift, she must have been awake for almost 24 hours now.

“Come on, you must be drained. Come sleep in Jackie’s room with me. Please?” V met her eyes for the first time since she came home.

“Are…you sure about that? I don’t want to disturb you. You need sleep too.” V looked so painfully hopeful at her suggestion that Judy wanted to draw her even closer. Right now, V needed to feel wanted. And god, did Judy want her.

“I’ll sleep better knowin’ you’re here with me, safe.”

“I can just sleep on the floor or something –”

“Nope, I want you in the bed. Need to make sure you’re not gonna sneak away the moment I fall asleep. I’m a light sleeper but not _that_ light.” Judy grinned down at her friend and she couldn’t help but smile back.

“Only if you’re sure. Thanks, Judy.” V gazed up into Judy’s eyes, losing her train of miserable thoughts for a second while she was lost in her dark brown irises. Her lips looked so damn kissable in that moment. Judy’s smile made her feel something she had never felt before and the thought terrified the performer.

“I’m absolutely sure.” Judy pressed her soft, warm lips delicately against V’s forehead, as if she didn’t think about the action. She was reacting only on instinct. Her face flashed with worry when she pulled back, afraid she had over-stepped V’s boundaries in a moment of vulnerability. “Sorry I –”

“Don’t be. It was… sweet.” V’s smile was genuine as she sat up beside her. She looked truly happy for a moment, and Judy would take anything that put that smile there. Judy’s face relaxed and she smiled.

“Don’t tell anyone. C’mon, let’s get some sleep.” Judy stood and offered her hand to V who took it and allowed herself to be led to Jackie’s room.

* * *

Judy woke first, checking the time on her holo. She’d slept for about four hours and it was somehow the best sleep she’d had since she could remember. She felt a warm back pressed against hers and heard slow, rhythmic breathing beside her. Judy reluctantly moved away from the warmth and slid out of bed silently. She needed to do something for V today and she definitely didn’t want to wake her. V was thoroughly drained; she had fallen asleep the moment her head had hit the pillow when they got into bed. She was going to need at least another five hours by Judy’s judgement. Plenty of time to get everything done.

The first thing Judy did was go shopping. It had been difficult trying to sneak out of the apartment without waking the sleeping performer, but somehow she managed. She had an idea forming in her mind, something she had been thinking about before she was lulled to sleep by V’s soft breathing beside her. After leaving Maiko she had struggled for a while, but she had picked up some extra shifts the last few weeks and things weren’t looking quite so bleak anymore after her conversation with Susie Q. One of her clients had given her an excessive tip last night and she wanted to give some of it to V anyway to help with the rent. She knew V would never accept the eddies but she hoped by transforming her room she could pay her back in a way she would allow.

She soon found herself in a nearby Kabuki home décor store, browsing the bedding. It seemed to be the most obvious thing to replace and an easy place to start. Or, so she thought. She ended up leaving the store with five different sets of bedding, unable to narrow it down further and wanting to treat V anyway. The last one was her favourite. It was a dark bedding with intricate designs trimming the edges of the cover and pillowcases, which seemed to match V’s chest tattoo with an uncanny accuracy. She felt that each of them allowed V to recreate the atmosphere in her room to be something new, and at least this way she could throw out all her bedding that may have other memories of Meredith attached to them. She had also found a luxurious, deep blue rug that would fit into the space perfectly and soften her room.

Picking up some incense on her way home, Judy found herself sneaking back into the apartment again a few hours later. She had made a detour to her old lock-up, containing things from her childhood home with her grandparents that Maiko hadn’t allowed her to place around their apartment. These items each had a strong level of sentimentality attached to them, from an old cookbook handwritten by her abuela, her first tech set and, most importantly, a huge roll of posters. The posters hadn’t been Maiko’s ‘style’ and even though Judy had begged to at least have her favourite in a corner of their office, she hadn’t been allowed. She flicked through them as she sat quietly on the couch, selecting a few she would use to remodel V’s room. One depicted her favourite band, another a beautiful still of a supernova and finally an artistic depiction of cyberspace.

Slipping into V’s room, making a face at the still-unmade bed and trying not to picture what had happened there, Judy got to work. She stripped the bed completely and discarded the bedding into a large sack, along with any other sets she found lying around. Next, she cleaned the entire room from top to bottom; it didn’t take long considering V didn’t seem to have too many personal possessions around. It was the room of someone used to moving around and never settling. Once everything was cleaned to her satisfaction Judy threw the window open, letting the fresh-ish air from Kabuki drift into the room, the smell of street-food and city fumes. It was strangely refreshing.

Once the room had suitably been aired out, she lit some of the incense she had bought, Misty’s words about cleansing negative energies ringing in her head. She wasn’t sure she believed in any of that, but figured that V deserved every chance at cleansing away any dark thoughts. Finally, she crawled into V’s bed where it lay built into a corner, and spend more time arranging the posters perfectly inside the alcove than she perhaps should have. By the time she’d added the bedding as well, she was feeling very pleased with herself; the room truly felt completely different. She just hoped V would feel it too.

Judy crept back into Jackie’s room a few hours later to wake her roommate. V had splayed herself out across the middle of the large bed, open mouthed, a small wet patch of drool forming on the pillow. She smiled to herself, almost not wanting to wake her, but she knew V would be grumpy if she overslept.

“Wakey, wakey sleepyhead.” Judy knelt down in front of V’s face. She stirred and grumbled something about ‘five more minutes’ as rolled away from the noise. “You’ll be late for work if you sleep any longer, y’know…”

“How long have I got?” She grumbled.

“Couple of hours but I figured you’d want to get a shower and some food before you go. Plus I have a surprise for you.” That did it, V rolled back over, her eyes now wide open.

“A surprise? For me? What is it?”

“You’ll have to come find out.” Judy grinned and made her way into the living room, calling behind her. “Don’t keep me waitin’ too long.”

V was out of bed a few minutes later and padded into the living space. “Lemme see!” Judy stood outside V’s bedroom door and V’s expression fell. “You… You’re not gonna make me go in there, are you?” Judy felt a pang of guilt, maybe it was too soon for V regardless of what she had done.

“I’m not gonna make you do anything you don’t want to. But I hope, you’ll feel at least a little better if you do.”

V slowly approached the door, her hand visibly shaking as she raised it to the bioscanner. She took a deep breath and pressed her palm to the scanner, the door sliding open in recognition. V hardly recognised the space before her, the room felt brighter, cleaner, warmer. The smell of burning sandalwood incense filled her nostrils and it reminded her of Misty’s Esoterica, one of her few happy places in Night City. V wandered around the room slowly, picking up new objects and observing new posters on her wall, some of which she didn’t recognise but was definitely interested in. She could feel the sting of tears forming in her eyes. _She really did all this for me?_

Judy watched V’s expressions change from fear, to shock, to warmth. Her initial worries that it might have been too soon were put to rest when V turned and embraced her tightly, whispering ‘thank you’ repeatedly in her ear.

“Is it all okay?”

“It’s perfect, Judy. Absolutely perfect. It hardly feels like the same room. Thank you so much. I don’t know how I can repay you for everything you’ve done for me.” V’s voice wavered and she took a step back, clearing her throat and avoiding Judy’s knowing gaze.

“Are you kidding? This is me trying to make it up to _you_ for letting me stay here.” Judy ignored her deflection and stepped towards her again, smiling. “You’ve already done enough for me. Let me make it up to you.”

“Okay... Well, thank you. It means a lot.” V gave Judy’s hand one last, tight squeeze. “I should start getting ready for work, but I hope I’ll catch you later?”

Judy nodded. “You bet.”

* * *

A few days had passed since Meredith had left the apartment. V still hadn’t heard from her and she was in a state of constant anxiety about when she would return to collect the rest of her stuff. She doubted the corpo would just leave all her expensive gadgets and furniture that she couldn’t carry with her that day. V had a lot of time to worry recently, with less time than usual available to spend with Judy at home or at work. Since her talk with Susie Q she’d spent more and more time in the basement with T-Bug and less time in the bar with V and the other performers. As much as V was happy for Judy to pursue her dream, she felt a selfish need to be close to her often for her own sanity. She provided a sense of calm that V couldn’t seem to find in herself, leaving her feeling constantly on edge.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a message on the holo.

_Jackie Welles: Hola, how’s mi hermana doing today?_

_V: Been better. I miss you, Jack._

_Jackie Welles: Missin’ you too chica. You know who else is missin’ you? Mama Welles. She wants to put on a feast tonight, think you should come home to the family for some love._

_V: That sounds great, I miss her cooking. Count me in._

_Jackie Welles: You should bring Judy, the girl needs a night off too. Misty’s comin’ as well._

_V: I’ll ask but no promises. See you tonight, hombre._

V’s Kusanagi was blasting across the city, carrying the two friends across the city. Judy was used to riding with her now but the adrenaline rush she got from it never seemed to stop. The rush of other things didn’t subside either. The feeling of her front pressed up against the back of V’s leather jacket, her arms encircling her waist and gripping her tightly always sent a flood of warmth through Judy’s body. The bike eventually stopped next to Jackie’s Arch outside a bar in The Glen, the bright neon sign illuminating the sidewalk out front. _El Coyote Cojo._ A large skull with horns hung above the door and the front of the building was covered in Valentinos graffiti. _Is this where V grew up?_

“Here we are, home sweet home.” The pair dismounted the bike and V led Judy inside. It was dark inside the room despite the hazy afternoon light, yet the atmosphere remained somehow bright. Vivid artwork emblazoned the walls in pops of colour, more Valentinos roses and retro posters. They were accented by the glow of neon, bringing the throwback vibe of the dive in line with the aura of Night City. Judy could imagine the low hum of discussion that would fill the room in the evening, blurring with the sound of the antique game stations off in one corner. Now though, it was a family affair, and the atmosphere was far more intimate.

At the bar stood two figures that Judy had already become very familiar with – Misty and Jackie. Admittedly, she’d only met Jackie’s output a handful of times, but she had a way of putting everyone around her at ease. Beside them on a stool sat a small woman with long grey hair who she recognised from the photos in their apartment as the famous Mama Welles. She felt nervous at the prospect of finally meeting the legendary woman who V and Jackie held in such high regard; as did the rest of this community, apparently. V had explained how the bar was a central hub for the Valentinos and Mama Welles welcomed people from all over into her home, often cooking large meals for people to take as necessary and stay for a drink in her humble bar.

“Buenas noches, Mama Welles. I’ve missed your face.” V grinned as she hugged the older woman, looking lighter than Judy had seen her in days.

“V, mi hija, it’s so good to see you!” Mama Welles held the taller woman close before she spotted Judy over V’s shoulder. “And la novia, it is wonderful to meet you.” Mama Welles hugged Judy then, the Mox fighting to hide the intense blush that had formed across her face. _Novia? Did V tell her we were a couple?_

“Mama! Judy is a friend, no romántico!” V’s cheeks were burning red as she shot Jackie an accusatory glance. He raised his hands in defence.

“Wasn’t me, chica!”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Señorita Welles, I’ve heard many good things about you.” Judy replied courteously.

“And you too. V, why you let this bella get away, hm? You need a good woman to look after you like Misty does for mi Jaquito.” Mama Welles clearly couldn’t sense the awkward tension that she had created between the two girls who were still blushing. “Come, the paella needs attention. Jaquito, I need that keg carrying upstairs rápidamente.”

“Sí mama.” Jackie lifted the keg and followed his mother upstairs. V followed close behind them and Misty hung back to talk to Judy.

“Sorry about her, she doesn’t really understand boundaries. She’s also not great at reading a room, as you can tell.” Misty joked. “You’ll get used to it.”

“She seems like a lovely woman. I bet you’re her favourite.” Judy grinned. Misty was someone who was easy to get along with and even easier to like.

“Actually, she wasn’t my biggest fan when Jackie and I first got together. She wanted a nice Hispanic girl for her son, she was surprised when he brought me home to say the least. I could read her energy, she just wanted the best for him. She came around to me eventually though, we get along great now.”

Misty’s words put her at ease. She couldn’t imagine how anyone could dislike her and the fact the Mama Welles did initially was definitely a surprise. It did make her feel a little better about her chances with V though; it seemed she already had Mama’s approval.

“I’m glad to hear that, you’re a great person, Misty. I don’t know how anyone could dislike you.” Judy smiled at the girl, noticing a small blush darken her cheeks.

“That’s very kind of you to say. Your heart chakra is very open.” Misty replied, smiling nonchalantly.

They reached the top of the winding stairs above the second-floor balcony and a door opened into a cosy apartment. A large table sat in the corner of the room near the kitchen that had been laid for five guests.

Mama Welles busied herself in the kitchen, seasoning the large batch of paella that was cooking over the stove. Jackie was trying to sneak a spoon from behind his mother’s back, the other women all laughing as he was swatted away immediately. Finally, he perched the keg on the kitchen counter and shoved a spile into the bottom, filling five pint glasses with the frothy liquid and placing them at each position on the table.

“Need any help with anything?” V asked.

“Nah chica, sit.”

V shrugged and took a seat, Judy naturally finding a seat beside her. Jackie and Misty sat across from the couple and they fell into an easy chatter. One place remained at the head of the table, clearly reserved for the head of the family. The group talk amongst themselves, catching up about work, it had been a while since V and Jackie had spent any quality time together, so they had much to discuss. Judy suspected much of which would not be appropriate for Mama Welles’ dinner table, should they be overheard. They were interrupted a few minutes later by steaming hot bowls of paella, the smell reminded Judy of her abuela’s cooking.

“Wow this smells incredible, Mama Welles. Thank you so much.” Judy’s mouth watered as she stared down at the delicious bowl of goodness.

“Ah it’s a Welles family secret recipe. Always a hit with my boys and the Valentinos.” Judy took her first bite and ‘hmphed’ in appreciation at warmth from the traditional Spanish flavours. She was definitely going to need the recipe, secret or not.

“So, how are your new jobs? Staying out of trouble?” Mama Welles enquired.

“We got lucky, a nice steady income, relatively low risk. No offence ma, but it beats waiting for contracts from Padre. It was tough livin’ like that, never knowin’ when the next paycheck was gonna come through.” Jackie said.

“A lot less killing involved too.” V chimed in casually, not quite meeting Judy’s eyes as she said it. She must have been aware that this was all new information to her.

“Sí that is true, I was worried sick about you two niños while you were out there. I’ve lost too many to count and couldn’t bear the thought of losing either of you. I’m proud of you both for getting out, I know it’s not easy.” Judy felt a pang of guilt. Clearly Mama Welles wasn’t aware that the Moxes were a gang too, although fairly non-violent, V and Jackie’s new jobs weren’t exactly as risk-free as they were making it out to be.

“Did V ever tell you about how she ended up here with us?” Judy shook her head at the question, pausing her eating in her curiosity to learn more about her friend.

_V was fifteen years old when she came back to Night City. Her parents were gone, and she had barely survived the attack herself. She felt more alone than ever, knowing this time there was no hope that anyone was coming back for her. She had wandered the streets of Night City searching and failing to find any decent work for a girl of her age. The only income she had came from shady XBDs that she had been roped into by even shadier characters; she counted herself lucky to still be alive. The only things she truly owned were her old Nomad clothes which were stained and ripped from excessive use. The soles of her boots were hanging off, her hair hadn’t been washed for months and her clan jacket had small rips gaping all over the arms. Her stomach was in a constant state of displeasure. Always growling, always starving. V couldn’t afford to eat so the only things she had were either stolen or found in the trash. Luckily, the people of Night City seemed to be pretty careless with disposing of food – most of it wasn’t even off._

_Whilst wandering the markets in Japantown, a particularly nasty strike of hunger struck her as all of the delicious smells from the market stalls taunted her. She had gained more confidence in her scams, a self-assured attitude that would later translate into her BD performances. She selected her next target carefully, deciding which food smelled the best. Settling on a noodle bar, she hopped onto a stool next to a large boy who couldn’t have been more than a few years older than herself. V avoided eye contact with him, hoping he wouldn’t later recognise her and turn her in to the badges. The vendor eyed her up and down with disgust, probably already expecting that she wasn’t going to be the one paying for the food. Still, he served her anyway, a customer was a customer. V began to inhale the noodles at a rapid pace, shovelling chopstick after chopstick into her mouth._

_“Woooah slow down there, chica. It ain’t a race.” The boy beside her smiled, his voice was deep and loud and it made V instantly recoil._

_“Fuck off.” She deadpanned, she was used to handling herself and knew she could take this boy if he wanted to start something. V noticed a tattoo on his exposed left forearm, it looked like a Valentinos gang logo. Wasn’t he a bit young to be part of a gang?_

_“That’s not very nice. You kiss your mother with that mouth?” His tone was light and lacked any malice._

_“My mom’s dead. Do me a favour and leave me the fuck alone.” V growled, returning to emptying her noodle pot._

_“Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” The boy frowned. His apology seemed genuine, but V had learned that the most genuine apologies were often the ones that were laced with the most bullshit. She ignored him after that and finished her noodles in peace. The boy didn’t speak again either._

_Another customer arriving indicated that it was her time to delta. The vendor turned his back on her to serve up some more noodles and V bolted, easily losing herself in the bustling Japantown market. She rounded a corner into a darkened alleyway, feeling satisfied that she hadn’t been caught. That is, until a loud voice called out behind her._

_“Hey, chica! Where you going, eh?”_

**_Shit. Gotta bolt, now!_ **

_V ran as fast as she could, the winding back alleys seeming endless. They all looked the same. She noticed some graffiti on the wall that she swore she had already passed. It felt like she was going around in circles. In her panic, she tripped on a haphazard trash can and fell to the ground, her hands and arms stinging from the contact rough concrete._

_The boy from the noodle bar stood over her. He looked far more threatening from this angle._

_“You got me. What you gonna do, call the badges? Get me arrested? Fine! Do it, I don’t give a fuck anyway.” She snarled and curled up, leaning her back against the dumpster behind her. The boy knelt down in front of her and she instinctively recoiled._

_“What’s your name? I’m Jackie.” He offered._

_“V.”_

_“Just V?”_

_“Only people who know me real well can use my real name.” She held her guard up, still not convinced that he wasn’t going to get her arrested._

_“Are you… alone out here? Got any friends or family? Looks like you’ve been on the streets for a while.”_

_“I’m alone. It’s just me. There’s… no one else left who cares about me.” V felt tears forming in her eyes. She was truly alone._

_“Well, I do. Come home with me, meet my Mama. She’ll feed you up good, lend you some new clothes.” V considered his offer, but she knew nothing was free in Night City._

_“What would you want in return?” She asked hesitantly._

_“Not an enny. My mama, she taught me that if you be good to the world, the world will be good to you. Call it my good deed for the day.” Jackie grinned and offered his hand to her._

_She took it and was pulled to her feet. “Thanks… Jackie.”_

V hadn’t said a word since Jackie started recounting the story of how they first met. She looked lost in thought, the memories flooding back to her as if she were reliving the events braindance-style. Judy had no idea that V had such a tragic past and come to think of it, she didn’t really feel like she knew anything at all about V’s upbringing. Making a mental note to ask her friend more about it in the future, Judy moved her hand under the table to rest on her knee. The touch seemed to pull V from whatever distant place she was in as she turned and smiled at the techie, placing her own hand on top of hers under the table and giving it a gentle squeeze.

A few hours (and beers) later, the group were wrapping up their evening and preparing to head back to their respective homes. When Mama Welles had slipped Judy the paella recipe in secret, the techie wondered if she was the first person to ever receive it who wasn’t a blood relative. Judy didn’t know what to make of it, but thought the gesture was kind. It filled her with a strange warmth. She had been made to feel like part of the Welles extended family and Mama Welles had even joked about Judy cooking the paella for V in the years to come.

When Judy and V returned to their shared apartment, they were still a little tipsy and warm from the alcohol. Judy could feel the slight tension in the air after so much of V’s personal life had been spilled without her consent, but she hoped that she knew that Judy would never judge her. As she was about to retire to Jackie’s room, a chrome hand caught hers and she spun around. V was looking at the floor as she spoke.

“Jude I… I can’t… I don’t…” Whatever V was trying to say was clearly hard for her to admit. “I don’t wanna be alone tonight. Will you stay with me?”

“Of course I will.” She answered without even thinking. She would have done anything V had asked in that moment.

“Thank you…” Judy laced their fingers together and led them through to V’s bedroom. She turned on the soft lights that were hung around the boxed-in double bed, casting a gentle glow onto the sheets. Judy slipped off her over shirt and jeans, leaving her in just a simple vest and boy shorts, folding them in a pile on the dresser.

“Do you mind if I have a cig out the window?” Judy asked. She had been craving one all night but couldn’t pull herself away from the conversations at the dinner table.

“Course not.” V had undressed to her shorts and an oversized t-shirt, perching herself on her desk chair. She seemed to be lost in thought again.

Judy sat on the windowsill and sparked up her cig, allowing the smoke to be carried out through the window with the gentle breeze. “Enny for your thoughts?”

V sighed. “Can I play you a song?”

The request took Judy by surprise, she absolutely wanted to hear V play again but wasn’t exactly expecting that right now. “I’d love that.”

V picked up the unplugged electric guitar that was nestled in the corner by her desk. She performed her usual checks to make sure the instrument was in the correct tuning, Drop D. Moving to sit in front of Judy on the windowsill, V began playing the first few bars of another Samurai song. Judy took a few more drags on her cigarettes before stubbing it out to pay attention to the performer, recognising the song as ‘Black Dog’. She had started taking more of an interest in the old band since the first night that V sang to her.

Judy wasn’t any less captivated by V this time as she had been the first time, watching the musician at work was something she wanted to experience forever. She listened to the lyrics, trying to make sense of the feelings that V was trying to convey. When the song ended, Judy felt a profound sense of clarity. She had been in denial about her feelings for V for such a long time now that she wasn’t sure she could pick out the moment they had transitioned from friendship to something more.

“That was beautiful.” Judy admitted.

V was giving her that same sheepish smile she had given her the first time and Judy couldn’t ignore the swell in her chest. V placed the guitar down beside them, leaning in closer to Judy. She raised her hand to the techie’s cheek, ghosting her thumb over the gloss of Judy’s lips. The techie wasn’t sure how long they had been gazing into each other’s eyes before she saw V’s flicker down towards her lips. She matched her movements, biting her own lip as she glanced down. Time stood still as their lips were inching closer together until they finally connected in a tentative kiss.

Judy reached her hand up to the back of V’s neck, gently massaging the short hair above it, her lips never leaving V’s. The kiss grew deeper, both women were totally lost, unaware of anything other than the feeling of their bodies pressing together with a fierce need. Before Judy knew what was happening, her legs were wrapped around V’s waist and she was being carried to the bed, their lips still not parting for more than a second. She felt her back connect with soft bedding, her head resting against a pillow and the reality of the situation hit her like a truck.

Judy pulled away from V who was now hovering over her, pupils fully dilated.

“Is this okay? Are you okay?” V asked, panic quickly replacing the aroused glaze that she wore on her face a moment earlier.

“I’m okay, _this_ is okay.” Judy wanted to calm her swiftly before beginning her next sentence. “But I don’t think we should do this. At least, not right now.” V’s face fell and Judy wished she could take it all back but she needed to be rational. Needed to be sure that this was what V really wanted and she wasn’t just going to be a pleasant distraction from whatever inner turmoil she was battling.

V laid down beside Judy, turning on her side to face her, one hand circling Judy’s hip bone which made her shudder.

“I know. I’m sorry.” V seemed to understand exactly what Judy was suggesting. “I don’t want you to think this is just a rebound. You’re so much more than that.”

The confession filled Judy with nervous excitement at the realisation that V had been feeling the same way about her. “I want to do this right. You need time to heal. Things have only just ended in other parts of your life…” She really didn’t want to discuss the elephant in the room but she had no choice. “You need to figure out what you really want. _Who_ you really want.”

V sighed and laid back flat against the mattress, one hand resting above her head, seemingly lost in thought again. There was a few more minutes of silence before V spoke again.

“Is cuddling still allowed?” She asked carefully, hoping she hadn’t ruined their pre-established boundaries.

“Of course it is, you gonk.” Judy nuzzled against V’s chest, one arm draping across her stomach.

“You’re the gonk.” A smile crept across V’s lips, pulling her in closer before flicking off the lights.


	10. May 13th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Mox gang celebrate their 10-year anniversary. Judy and V keep getting interrupted. Rita Wheeler is bad at strip poker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks again to [Hexpresso](https://archiveofourown.org/users/corchen/pseuds/Hexpresso) for beta reading this chapter.
> 
> !TW! Recreational drug use throughout. Mentions of sexual violence. Plus, smut between the ****.

It was May 13th and the 10-year anniversary of the founding of The Mox was on everybody’s minds. The bar was closed today – it was a holiday to be enjoyed, not for working. Mox members were in and out through the day, bringing in party supplies, alcohol and other substances. This night was bigger and better than any other holiday for the Moxes and the fact that it was the 10-year anniversary really ramped things up a few notches. Susie Q had insisted on the gang going all out and having the best lock-in the city had ever seen. She also made sure to drop some extra eddies in all of their pay checks as a thank you for being part of the Lizzie’s legacy.

V had been reluctant to attend the celebration. She wanted to, but it didn’t feel right intruding on the gang’s special night when she wasn’t an official Mox herself. Judy had convinced her though, she already had Jackie onside so it was useless for V to resist her favourite techie. The past three weeks, the pair had continued sharing a bed whenever they could. They mutually agreed that they would take time to consider their feelings before taking anything further, but that didn’t stop them from being affectionate. Careful boundaries were created, though. The two hadn’t kissed again, worried that if they started they wouldn’t be able to stop. There had been a few close calls; moments of weakness where their lips inched closer but never touched. It had been agonising for Judy, but she knew she had to give V time to decide what she wanted - and it killed her to have to reject those in-the-moment advances. Needed to do it for both of them.

Tonight was going to be different though and V had plenty of time to choose her words carefully. Her feelings for the techie had grown significantly in the past few weeks. Since they started sleeping next to each other almost every night, V had barely spared her ex-mistress a second thought. The only time she even thought of her was when she sold the suit she had bought for a cool 26,000 eddies at the drop shop. Plenty of money to treat herself to a new outfit for the special occasion. V settled on a long black blazer with shiny metallic patches on the shoulders, layered on top of Judy’s mesh Moxes crop top with the word ‘bitch’ emblazoned on the front. On her legs she wore a pair of tight-fitting black vinyl pants which transitioned into a pair of high-heeled boots. She’d treated herself to a trim earlier that day so the gradient of the shaved back and sides of her head was sharp, smoothing back the long layers on top with a little hair gel. She finished the look with a bright pink handkerchief in her left breast pocket, tying in with the Mox logo on her top. V checked herself out in the mirror for any imperfections and pulled some faces, her usual routine when nervous and excited. _You’ve got this._

V stepped out from her bedroom into the living space of the apartment where Judy was waiting for her, absentmindedly gazing out of the window. She took a moment to regard the Mox in front of her, how perfect she looked in the glow of the neon lights cascading in through the window. Judy was wearing a traditional Mox-style outfit; a cropped pink and blue bomber jacket with a hot pink bra underneath coupled with a matching pair of shorts and white platform sneakers, giving her a few extra inches of height. This was the most Mox-y looking V had ever seen her and damn did she pull the look off. V closed her gaping jaw as Judy turned to her, finally noticing her presence.

“Wow, look at you! Lookin’ damn fine in that suit.” Judy grinned and sauntered over to examine V’s outfit more closely, circling her as she did. “Very classy.”

V knew this was going to be a long night if Judy kept flirting with her so relentlessly. She had a plan for how this evening would go. Seemed Judy did too, based on her lingering, heat-filled gaze as she appreciated V’s getup. The look was far more direct than anything they had allowed themselves so far; that was all it took to get V’s heart pounding.

“You’re not lookin’ so bad yourself. Very Mox-y, I like it.” She tried to hide her fumbling, caught off-guard by Judy’s bold look.

“I thought you might enjoy this particular outfit. Plus I wanted to show off my Mox colours and that includes as many tatts as possible.” Judy performed a little twirl to show off said tattoos, causing V’s mouth to suddenly go dry. “Don’t remember you asking for permission to wear _my_ Mox top though.” She raised an eyebrow, a smile lingering on her lips as she watched V stutter.

“Shit, sorry! Uh… I just thought… Y’know Mox party and all… You left it in my bedroom and-” V stammered and Judy couldn’t help but adore her even more, pulling the performer closer.

“Don’t be sorry. I really like how it looks on you…” She trailed off, hands slowly trailing down the front of V’s jacket, smoothing out invisible creases. The charged moment was interrupted when Judy’s holo trilled, cutting off V’s response. “Shit, Delamain’s outside, we better hurry.”

* * *

The couple arrived at Lizzie’s Bar, which was uncharacteristically dead from the outside for a typical Thursday night. The neon ‘CLOSED’ sign was lit up red across the doors but they knew that only applied to the customers this evening. There was no sign of any security on the door and no sign of life inside the building either. V laced her hand with Judy’s as they approached the bar.

“Suze said we should go round the back, don’t want anyone to see us and crash the party.” V gestured to the side entrance; she was always the more security-conscious one of the two of them. Judy pressed her hand against the biometric plate and the door opened and closed quickly. Once they were inside, it became obvious that there was a party in full swing. Deep bass thudded through the walls of the club to the point where V swore she could feel it in her chest. Moxes were littered through the corridors, drinking and rubbing their noses after what V assumed was SynthCoke. Judy always felt more at home in this kind of environment, leading V through to the main bar area, greeting some members she was familiar with along the way.

The dancefloor was jam packed with people dancing. The night was still young yet some people looked like they’d been partying all day; they probably had, based on the atmosphere. V scanned the room for their friends, still not recognising most of the Moxes around them. She was relieved when she spotted the iconic blue hair of Evelyn Parker sitting in a corner booth with Jackie and Rita, two spaces clearly reserved next to them. V pointed in their direction and Judy navigated them across the dancefloor with a practiced ease, still gripping V’s hand tightly. It was a small gesture, one that could easily be passed off as just friends but to those who knew, it was an obvious sign that something was going on.

“Hola chicas! What took you so long?” Jackie was the first to notice the pair’s approach, already pouring them both a shot. Rita and Evelyn shared a look between them as if communicating something telepathically. They eyed V and Judy’s entwined hands and whispered something to one another. Something about eddies…

“Hey, hey, hope you weren’t missing us too much.” V released Judy’s hand to hug her brother tightly.

“Ready to bring the house down Mox style?” Judy grinned and downed her shot, sitting herself next to V. Rita and Evelyn were sat close together and Jackie had spread himself out across two seats beside his best friend.

“Fuck yeah, the last one standin’ gets a new bat, on me.” Rita whooped, knocking back some tequila.

“No chance of that being you is there, Wheeler? Don’t get too drunk though, I won’t be carrying your ass home.” Evelyn smirked, patting her friend on the knee. “You’ll have to ask the _man_ of the house.”

“Come on now chicas, there’s enough of Jaquito to go around! Spread the love, I’ll carry you both home alright?”

Spirits were high amongst the group of friends, not the mention the wider room, and V felt any lingering stress from the last month slowly seep away. There had been some difficult days wading through the convoluted mess of her feelings, largely with the comfort of Judy’s presence. Even when the techie hadn’t been close by, her steadfast gentleness reminding V she was worth something had brought her to a much better place.

“Did we miss Susie’s speech?” Judy enquired, snapping V back to the present. She leant in curiously - had been interested in hearing the Mox leader’s speech since the techie had mentioned it a few days ago.

“Nah, pretty sure it’s coming soon though before the guys get too fucked up.” Evelyn gestured to the rest of the room, the frenzied movement of bodies bouncing against each other to the jaw-rattling bass.

The group chatted for a while as they waited, playing a few drinking games to get themselves loosened up and on the level of those around them. Evelyn of course suggested a game of Never Have I Ever, the cunning glint in her eye instantly putting Judy on alert. Everyone was quick to agree however, eager to lean some embarrassing truths about each other.

“Never have I ever… stolen a car.” Rita started them off, nice and simple. Jackie and V both took a shot, signifying that they had indeed stolen a car, probably together.

“Never have I ever had sex in public. On the job doesn’t count, by the way.” Evelyn and Rita’s attentions were directed at Judy, taking their own shots before watching the techie do the same. V’s ears pricked up at that, cheeks darkening slightly as she pondered what Judy could have done in public and where. The possibilities very quickly diverted her attention from the game as she took an absentminded sip of her Centzon, picturing Judy in the basement of Lizzie’s, bare and alight with the glow from the monitors. She felt a sharp elbow in her side and sent a scowl at Judy’s smug expression, trying to ignore the heat in her cheeks.

“Never have I ever cheated on someone.” Jackie glanced sideways at the doll as he said this; Judy was immediately sure this entire game was a set up. Evelyn’s eyes, meanwhile, were narrowed at V – scrutinising her every move, assessing her intentions. It was almost like she was trying to prove a point. No one drank that round.

“Never have I ever had a threesome.” Judy sniped back, intentionally aiming for Evelyn. She knew the actress well enough to recognise what the purpose of her last turn had been. She supposed it was sweet, in Evelyn’s own, unique way. The performer huffed and took a shot, Rita following her lead. Jackie and V were looking at the duo with clearly questioning eyes, and Evelyn cleared her throat, jumping in again to avoid further scrutiny.

“Never have I ever… wanted to fuck someone at this table.” Evelyn smirked at V and Judy as she watched the blushes burn across their cheeks. They both had a shot, not making eye contact with each other as they did. Rita also took a shot, not meeting anyone’s eyes, leaving V to wonder who she had her eye on.

The game continued but V checked out as she felt something warm and soft on her leg under the table and looked down to see Judy’s tattooed hand, stroking her knee gently. She cautiously moved her own hand on top of Judy’s locking their fingers together, a subtle affirmation of what they had just admitted. V met her eyes, losing herself for a moment and forgetting where they were, eyes trained on Judy’s slightly bitten lip.

Suddenly the music volume was reduced and Susie Q’s voice was speaking through the sound system. The group of friends straightened; game abandoned in favour of paying attention to Susie’s legendary speech. She was usually a woman of few words, which made the occasion even more notable.

“Good evening Moxes, I just wanna say a few words before y’all black out on me. Now I know tonight is a night for celebrating, so I won’t keep you long. I just wanted to say thank you to all of you Moxes out there for all your hard work and I think it’s important we remember where we came from and how we got here.”

Susie cleared her throat; the room was silent with Mox members bowing their heads out of respect. Even those who had previously seemed like they were in another realm were uncharacteristically sombre. This must have been another tradition so V and Jackie followed suit.

“On May 13th, 2067, one of Lizzie's girls was raped and murdered by the Tyger Claws. Lizzie avenged her by hunting down three of the killers with an axe and stringin’ up their bodies in front of her club. Lizzie sent a clear warning message that the same would happen to anyone else who hurt a workin’ girl. That night, the Tyger Claws raided Lizzie’s bar before wipin’ her and the bar out. Lizzie’s death fuelled months of riots all over Night City against the Claws. This cemented our girl Elizabeth Borden as a symbol of defiance against gang brutality. We rebuilt her place here and formed the Mox gang in her memory. Our goal was to bring together those who felt threatened and oppressed, especially vulnerable men and women in the sex industry. Now, I feel like we have achieved more than that in the 10 years since the gang was created. Not only have we helped sex workers and sexual minorities from all over the city, we’ve built an establishment where no one fucks with us, a place where we call the shots and more importantly, built a family we can trust.”

Susie took another pause to sip at her drink before continuing. The room was silent, every pair of eyes trained on her reverently. The Mox leader seemed almost unaware of her gripped audience however, her own gaze seeing past the room and into their history.

“The road hasn’t been easy, and we’ve had to make a lot of sacrifices and difficult decisions to get Lizzie’s to the place it is today. I’m not gonna ignore the recent attacks from the Claws that have been escalating. Our people have lost their lives fightin’ back against them in our dollhouses and countless others have been affected by the brutality. I wanna tell you this: we are gonna fight back. We’ve never been a territorial gang but when these Tygers start steppin’ on our toes, we have to protect ourselves. I just wanted to say how proud I am of each and every one of you for getting out of bed and fightin’ back every single day. I hope you continue to do so for as long as we all have axes to throw and bats to swing. Let’s raise a toast to our fallen brothers and sisters, may they rest easy at Lizzie’s side.”

Everyone in the room raised a glass.

“To The Moxes, past and present.” The crowd echoed her sentiments before taking a drink.

“Now let’s make this one a night to remember, DJ, play that thing.” Just as she had appeared, Susie Q melted back into the crowd, becoming one of many again.

The deep bass music resumed a few seconds later and the club returned to its usual hustle and bustle. V turned back to her friends, the atmosphere more solemn than before. Rita looked particularly introspective; her eyes were glazed over as she stared off in the distance. V wondered how many people they knew who had been killed over the years, and how many more recently. She wanted to say something, offer some words of comfort but anything that came to mind just felt inadequate.

“Hey, I’m proud of you all. We’ll get through this, together.” V settled on something simple and encouraging before picking up the bottle on the table. “Can I get you brave Moxes another shot?” Her smile was charming to say the least, even getting a smile out of Evelyn and bringing Rita back from her far away daze. Judy hadn’t let go of her hand the entire time.

_Later that night…_

More tables had been pushed together and the group crowded with additional Moxes who came to join their games. Now that the alcohol and pills had been flowing for a while longer, T-Bug suggested a game of strip poker which was met with resounding agreement. Tension between Judy and V had remained high and the addition of strip poker certainly was not helping V’s desire.

A few lost matches later and Rita was stripped down to her underwear, praying that she wouldn’t lose another round. The bouncer was pouting, fully aware that she wouldn’t live this failure down. Evelyn had removed her top and was sitting beside Rita in just her bottom half of clothing, no qualms about her own state of undress at all. Judy swore she saw blushes exchanged between the two Moxes but she could have just been imagining it. Jackie was down to just his boxer shorts, causing V to avert her eyes from his direction entirely; she didn’t need to see her choom in that state of undress and he certainly didn’t want to see her either. V was down to her bra and black vinyl trousers, becoming increasingly concerned at the hands she was being dealt. Judy was a scarily good poker player and had an even scarier poker face; the only article of clothing she had lost was her jacket. V wondered whether it was her sheer determination not to get naked in front of her colleagues that motivated her to play so well - or maybe it was just that everyone else was performing poorly.

Judy pulled out a small, bullet-shaped tube from the pocket of her shorts, rolling it between her thumb and forefinger under the table. She gave V a quick nudge and showed it to her with a questioning eyebrow.

“You want in?”

“What is it?” V asked, examining the unfamiliar device with a curious eye.

“Just a little somethin’ to take the edge off.” Judy shrugged, flicking the bottom of the compartment while inverting the vial. “Doesn’t last too long.”

V watched as Judy raised it to her nose and took a quick sniff, unnoticed by the rest of the party around them before handing the tube to V who copied her movements. She wasn’t a stranger to drugs, especially not SynthCoke, but she’d never seen this particular device before. It was interesting, a lot more subtle and seemingly more controlled than the usual messy line she would rack for herself.

As the card dealer started a new round, a surge of confidence ignited in V’s chest; she just had a good feeling about this one.

“Deal me in. I’m ready!” V grinned, suddenly feeling a lot more alert.

V checked her hand, struggling to hold back a groan when she saw a crappy pair of threes. No matter though, she wasn’t going to fold and have to lose more clothes, surely she could bluff her way through this one. “Hit me.”

She was dealt another card, a two. _Fuck._ A few other Moxes folded, sacrificing some clothes in the process until it was down to just her and an almost-naked Rita Wheeler. People were starting to drift away from the game, losing focus and needing to dance out their drug-induced energy.

“Give it up, V. I’ve got a straight flush, there’s no way you’re gonna top that.” Rita smirked, all confidence for a woman in her underwear in public.

“Nothing about you is straight, Wheeler.” T-Bug chimed in.

“I’m confident enough in my hand and you’re bluffing. Lay your cards on the table.” V really believed she could pull this off, she didn’t think for a second that Rita had a straight flush.

They laid down their cards and Rita whooped when she saw V’s pathetic hand.

“Ha! I knew you were bluffin’! And I though my hand was bad.” Rita laughed, revealing a pair of fives; She had beaten V by a fraction.

“Alright, alright, you win this round. Didn’t wanna see your chrome tits anyway.” V grinned as she peeled off her skin-tight trousers down her legs, suddenly very aware of Judy’s close proximity. The next round was dealt out as V turned her attention to the techie, finding hazel eyes burning a path along her exposed skin shamelessly.

“See anything you like?” Their flirting had only increased as the night has gone on. Any invisible lines they had both been toeing around each other in the last few weeks had almost disappeared, giving way to a slow, burning heat.

“A few things actually, maybe lose another round and I’ll see some other things I like.” Judy’s voice was husky and low, only heard by the woman the words were intended for.

“Wish you would stop being so damn good at this game so I can see somethin’ else I like too.” V bit her lip, eyes lidded as she felt the heat in her stomach rising. Judy’s eyes darkened as she leaned in close to V, her lips looking more and more tempting by the second.

“Hey are you guys like, gonna fuck or something?” Rita’s face appeared _far_ too close behind them causing the two to jump apart.

“Fuck you, Wheeler!” V shoved her away with a hand in the security guard’s face. Their moment had been ruined too many times this evening and she was growing impatient. She took another large gulp of her drink to distract herself before Judy nudged her hand.

“Let’s get out of here, I know a place.” Judy’s eyes were filled with suggestion that V didn’t know what to do with.

“Okay, lead the way.” The pair quickly threw on their clothes and Judy grabbed V’s hand, disappearing into the crowd before any of their friends could notice. V knew exactly where Judy was taking them and her heart began to pick up the pace at the realisation. She had first fantasised about kissing Judy in Lizzie’s basement when she shot her holo performance and it was a thought that had persisted every time she’d been down there since. The thrill of finally getting to live out her fantasy already had her heart racing. Judy scanned her hand on the panel, causing the doors to swing open.

V’s heart was pounding as Judy led her into the room. The door slid shut behind them with a resounding thud, and the sounds from the party were suddenly cut off, leaving a tension-filled silence. _Was this really happening?_

“Can I tell you somethin’?” Judy asked V as she leant back against T-Bug’s extra-large desk. The question brought V out of her daze and back to the present.

“Please do.”

“That day you recorded your first performance down here with me…” V’s eyes widened, wondering if Judy had somehow read her own thoughts. “I wanted to fuck you, right here, against this desk.”

The performer swallowed hard. She hadn’t expected Judy to admit it so willingly, suspected she wouldn’t have if it weren’t for the drugs loosening her tongue, but the sudden boldness was more than welcome.

“Fuck. You have no idea how much I wanted that too.” V leaned her arms on either side of the Mox, trapping her up against the desk, the feeling of her abs pressed against Judy lit a fire in her. The techie’s hands snaked their way up to the back of V’s head, gently stroking the nape of her neck whilst maintaining eye contact as she leaned in closer.

“Kiss me.” The words were breathed against V’s lips, the order in them unmistakeable.

Their lips collided urgently, tongue meeting tongue and teeth sinking in. V’s hands roamed across Judy’s lower back, pulling her body flush against her own. A moan escaped her as Judy hooked her leg around her waist, supporting her weight on the desk that creaked beneath them. They paid it no mind. V pulled away from Judy’s lips to trail a string of kisses from her jaw to behind her ear and finally down her neck, nipping and sucking at each new piece of Judy she could claim. The moans she made in response were deliciously erotic and V could feel how wet she was getting through her own pants. Judy pulled V’s head back up to her lips, hungry for more of what she had wanted for so long.

A loud bang startled the couple as they looked up towards its direction. A clumsily drunk Evelyn Parker had crash-landed on the floor of the BD suite, her face the picture of guilt.

“Oh… hello you two. What’re you doing down here all alone in the dark?” Evelyn shifted on the floor into a seductive pose. “Don’t mind me dropping in, do you?”

V was mortified by the whole affair and couldn’t do anything other than attempt to hide her embarrassment from the doll, hiding her face in Judy’s neck.

Judy groaned loudly before gently pushing V away and walking over to her fallen friend. “Evie! Can’t we have any privacy?”

“Privacy is for the bedroom sweet Judith, not a public basement.”

“My name isn’t even Judith, it’s Judy. Why are you creepin’ down here?” She huffed as she stood over her friend waiting for her to explain her _very_ subtle spying.

“ _Well_ … I saw you two sneaking off together and just thought I’d keep an eye on you… make sure there’s no funny business going on, y’know, the usual…” Evelyn trailed off, the smug grin never leaving her expression. Even when she was at the disadvantage, the performer managed to look perfectly at ease.

Judy helped her friend to her feet. “If there was, there isn’t anymore. C’mon let’s get you back to the party. V, gimme a hand.”

V helped lift Evelyn and the pair carried her between them as they led her back upstairs. The performer found it very difficult to hide her embarrassment from an intoxicated Evelyn who had no boundaries, being the butt of her relentless teasing for the duration of their journey back to the main bar. They dropped her down on a sofa next to Rita, whose shoulder Evelyn immediately leaned her head on comfortably, eyes fluttering closed. Jackie was dancing amongst a nearby group of Moxes, thankfully now clothed, but he came over when V caught his eye.

“She’s had a little too much, can you promise me you’ll look after her? I need a smoke.” Judy asked her friends, gripping V’s hand almost desperately. If they didn’t leave soon, she wouldn’t be held responsible for her actions.

“Course we will Jude, promise.” Rita nodded and Jackie backed her up.

“You two go have yourselves a good fu- I mean smoke!” Jackie grinned, feigning innocence.

V rolled her eyes. “Very subtle. No more happy pills or booze for you two!” she warned before Judy was pulling her through the crowd.

This time, Judy was taking V up the stairs to the balcony, past some more intoxicated bodies. She led her up a second flight of stairs which V didn’t hadn’t even been aware of until now. At the top of the staircase, there was a locked door, which Judy tried her biometrics with. It failed and the techie huffed in frustration; it was as if the world wanted to stop them from getting some much-needed alone time. Judy began to hack the lock and it finally slid open.

“Ha! Easy as paella.” Judy walked out onto the roof of the bar, the fresh and cool night air instantly making her feel more grounded.

“Nice, I love it when you work your techie magic. Didn’t even know this place existed. You come here often?” V wiggled her eyebrows at the pretend pick-up line which earned her a laugh from Judy, cutting through the charged atmosphere slightly and allowing the pair to relax.

“Only when I need to get away from everyone else, so yeah, quite often.” Judy rummaged around in her pockets, finally pulling out a longer, brown cigarette and placing it between her lips. “Need a downer?”

“Definitely. What was in that bullet you gave me?” V was definitely still feeling the distant buzz of the mystery drug Judy had given her, but it certainly wasn’t unwelcome.

“Just a little Triphetamine. You never had it before?” Judy raised a brow. She naturally assumed V would be the one well-versed in drugs, having worked in shady industries for most of her life.

“Don’t think so. Thought it was SnapCoke, effects seem similar.” V grabbed a lighter from her pocket, sparking up the joint in the techie’s mouth automatically.

“Turns me on whenever you do that, you know.” Judy said coolly, sitting herself on a wall, legs hanging over the edge. V sat close beside her, close enough that they were touching and Judy leaned her head on the performer’s shoulder.

“I know. That’s why I keep doing it.” V smirked at the confession; she had noticed the way Judy’s gaze would intensify whenever she lit her cigs for her. They sat like that quietly for a few moments, the air of Night City curiously still.

“Listen V, we need to talk about some stuff.” Judy took a long drag before passing the smoke to her companion, who did the same before responding.

“What’s on your mind?” V reached over and linked her free hand with Judy’s, already feeling more secure with the extra physical contact.

“Downstairs… What was that, exactly?” V started to sweat at the question. She’d known that this conversation would be coming, had even prepared everything she wanted to say to the woman, but now all of those confessions had fled from her mind. She hesitated, fumbling with her words.

“Don’t remember or you want me to remind you?” V tried, buying herself a few more seconds of time to gather her thoughts as she took another drag on the smoke before passing it back to Judy.

“You know exactly what I’m trying to say. What did it mean, like, to you?” Judy persevered, hand shaking slightly as she gripped the cigarette. Things had seemed pretty clear in the basement, and even before that in the last few weeks they had spent together. But she wasn’t about to dive in blindly, not again.

“Think it… I mean… I hope it was the beginning of something nice. Unless… you see things differently.” The words were out there now, not as cohesive as V had planned but the essence was still the same. She wanted to take things to the next level, wanted a relationship, wanted Judy to be hers and only hers.

“Ugh… can be such a gonk sometimes. You ruined my plans, you know that? Wasn’t gonna look for another relationship any time soon, thought I was too ruined from Maiko to trust someone again.” Judy sighed, gazing out at the neon lights, deep in thought. “But now I think… now I think I gotta give it a try.”

“Oh well, guess I’ll have to make it up to you, won’t I?” V teased, rubbing her thumb against the back of Judy’s palm.

“Hm.. Yeah that would be appropriate.” Judy grinned finishing their joint before flicking it over the side of the roof. “I… I wanna do this right, V. Have done since the start.” She turned to face her, taking both of V’s hands in her own. “So… What do you think? We makin’ this official?” V met her eyes with a wide smile across her face.

“I’d love to.” V leaned in, kissing her lips softly, taking a moment to appreciate the fact she could do that freely now.

“Then we’ve waited long enough. Wanna delta the fuck out of here? I gotta check on Evie first but then, I’m all yours.” The smirk on Judy’s face reminded V of how heated their earlier kiss had gotten and she couldn’t wait to get back to their apartment and finally break down the last remaining barrier between them.

* * *

Once Judy was satisfied that her friend would be taken care of in their absence, V called a Delamain to take them home. They kissed for the entire duration of the short journey, hands gripping thighs and tugging hair, only parting when Delamain announced their arrival. They continued their intense make out session in the elevator on the journey up to their floor. Judy had backed V into a corner, one arm boxing her in against the other wall as her lips trailed along V’s jawline. Her other hand teasingly slipped beneath the hem of the blazer her partner wore, searching fingers meeting the bare, heated skin of V’s abdomen. V was ready to let Judy take her right there before they suddenly arrived at their floor and the Mox pulled back with a smirk. She nipped at V’s lower lip one last time before leading her into the apartment where they were finally alone, finally uninterrupted.

V led Judy to her bedroom by the hand, the dim glow of the neon lights pouring in through the window providing warm, atmospheric lighting. The nerves didn’t register in V until they were alone in the darkened room. It had been a long time since she’d had meaningful sex with anyone and the fact that it was Judy, someone who _really_ meant a lot did little to calm her. Knowing that Judy was still living in the shadow of an abusive relationship and was trusting V enough to do this was a whole other issue. She wanted to make this good for Judy, show her how she deserved to be treated, but it was also a lot of pressure. It was almost as if Judy could read her mind, a frown appearing on her face briefly as she stroked the performer’s cheek.

“Hey, we don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. I don’t want you to think you can’t say no to me. If you say stop, we stop, you understand? I’m so happy with tonight already, happy with you.” Judy pulled V down to sit on the edge of the bed with her.

“It’s not that… It’s more, the other way ‘round.” V sighed, aware that she needed to get this out if they were going to go any further. “Been a long time since I’ve… y’know, done somethin’ like this, and you mean a lot to me. I wanna be good, for you.” The confession sent a jolt of electricity down Judy’s spine; hearing V say those words directed at her was doing nothing to calm her growing arousal. “Are you sure you’re okay with everything and the pace this is going? I…I know it’s difficult to trust again…”

“V, it was never difficult for me to trust you. I trusted you the moment you helped me rescue Evelyn and I’ve trusted you ever since. I want this so much. I want _you_ and I’m hoping you want me too…” Judy’s eyes were intense, her pupils black with arousal and V couldn’t restrain herself anymore. _She wants you, she said it herself. Do it._

**_****_ **

“I do, so much.” V placed a kiss on Judy’s clavicle, nipping at her delicate skin. The Mox leaned her head back, allowing her more access to her neck with a breathy moan. She urgently shrugged off her own jacket and slipped the blazer away from V’s shoulders, throwing them both across the room. With one, firm push, V was laid flat on the mattress with Judy straddling her hips, her hands roaming across the exposed skin of V’s torso. Judy’s nails grazed across her abs appreciatively, watching the way they tensed and reddened under her touch. Her hands ventured underneath the Mox crop top barely covering the performer’s breasts, before pulling it up and over her head. Judy was delighted to find that V hadn’t been wearing a bra all night and her chest was now fully exposed. It definitely wasn’t the first time she’d seen V topless but it was exciting that she was finally able to do more than just look.

Judy checked in silently, meeting V’s eyes with a questioning gaze looking for permission to which the performer nodded. The techie brushed fingers slowly down from V’s neck and over her pebbled nipples briefly, eliciting a wonderful moan from the woman under her. V’s hands reached up and fumbled with the clasp of Judy’s bra, feeling successful the moment the bra fell away and was tossed aside. Her eyes darkened with lust as she sat up, leaning against the headboard to fully appreciate the woman in her lap. Judy’s chest was rising and falling heavily as V ran her thumb across the spider-web covered breast, pinching her nipple lightly which earned her another moan. Judy’s hands gripped at V’s shoulders as she started to grind her hips down against her thigh. V could feel the heat from her core through her own pants, which were now feeling much too restrictive.

The Mox started to unbuckle the belt around her lover’s waist, sliding it away quickly, making a mental note of how she would make use of it in future. Nimble fingers made quick work of V’s pants, unbuttoning them and sliding them slowly off her legs, leaving V in just her underwear. The performer pulled at Judy’s shorts, unintentionally pulling off her underwear in the process with a pleased expression. The techie bit her lip and slowly lowered her centre onto V’s thigh again, no longer blocked by their clothes. Feeling Judy’s wetness rubbing against her bare leg was too much, V was desperate to feel more and needed to do something about it, fast.

She used her strength to flip their positions, pinning Judy to the mattress in an unexpected display of dominance which had the Mox surprised and very turned on. She lay pressed fully against Judy’s centre, the techie’s legs trapped bracketing her hips. V groaned her approval, leaning back to admire Judy splayed out, completely bare before her. Her gaze followed her grip at Judy’s hips along the planes of her stomach and up to the soft swell of her breasts. Judy needed more than simple looks, though. She guided V’s hands up and over her breasts, running them up along her collarbones and across her neck before tracing back slowly down her front. V followed the path, mesmerised; she was learning every touch, every quiver of Judy’s body or soft gasp to leave her lips. Slowly, Judy moved her hands to rest on her cat tattoo, smirking at V before retracting her hold, letting the next decision be one she made alone.

V propped herself up further on one arm, the other hand continuing its exploration. Her fingers grazed along Judy’s hips and the divots above her thighs, watching the Mox’s body tighten more and more the lower her touch travelled. Gripping the back of her thigh, she gently encouraged the woman beneath her to open up to her further, legs falling apart wider. Her touch now brushed along Judy’s inner thighs, a ragged breath leaving her as she felt the beginnings of wetness there, eyes locking onto Judy’s desperate gaze. Impatient and needy, Judy gripped V’s wrist, a pleading moan causing V’s resolve to waver.

The performer slowly skimmed her chrome fingers through Judy’s folds, across her clit and down past her entrance. Judy couldn’t hold back her moans now, had no intentions of holding anything back tonight at all. V traced the same path along Judy’s centre repeatedly; fingers teasingly circling her clit before trailing down to gather the wetness and back up until her fingers were gliding easily back and forth. The noises the Mox was making only spurred her on, made her hungry for more as she began retracing her last movements with more focus on her clit, rubbing small circles over the sensitive bud.

Judy could feel her muscles tightening already. To finally feel V pressed against her, bare skin flush against hers and fingers doing wicked things between her legs, was almost too much. Her hips began to buck upwards into V’s strokes, desperately seeking more friction against her clit and gasping louder each time the woman’s fingers pressed into her just right.

“V… _fuck_ yes.” She pressed her forehead against V’s, hands locking around her neck and holding the woman against her closely.

Judy moaned into V’s lips as they met hungrily, could hear her own rapid breathing, and wondered just how wet she would find the woman when she finally got to touch her. The thought had her finally hurtling towards her edge. Her fingers tightened in V’s hair, tugging on the short strands sharply as her legs began to shake. Her body grew taut before she arched, V’s front pressed against hers fully as she fell over the edge. Pleasure ripped through her and her mouth fell open in a silent scream, feeling V’s fingers slow but not quite stop, gently working her through her orgasm.

She fell back against the mattress, chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. With her eyes closed, she didn’t notice V’s next move until she felt hot lips press against the top of her breast; a hint of teeth grazing her skin had her gasping and clenching again. V’s lips pressed needy kisses across her chest as they trailed across to her other breast, lips closing around a puckered nipple. Judy was already arching from the bed again, fingers desperately wrapped in V’s hair.

“Shit, V… I– What are you…” Judy tried to stutter a protest, her desire to touch V quickly fading under the overwhelming pleasure V caused with the way her tongue flickered across her sensitive nipple. Her hips were moving again before she knew what she was doing, brushing up against V’s pelvis. She took her own brief satisfaction at the gasp she felt around her nipple and the shiver that ripped through the woman above her.

But then V’s lips left her breasts with a final, delicious curl of her tongue, and she continued her path downwards. She pressed open-mouthed kisses across Judy’s stomach before lightly digging her teeth into the hollow of her hips. Strong fingers clamped down on Judy’s hips, holding her in place as V slid all the way down her body until she came to rest between her legs, mouth hovering over her centre.

“Jude… Wanna taste you.” V half-groaned, lips pressing into the cat tattoo.

Judy was sure she could have come right then; the sight of V’s face gazing up at her from between her legs, eyes darkened and hungry, hair tousled by her demanding grip had her quaking. V’s lips trailed up the inside of Judy’s thighs, firm grip keeping Judy from thrusting up as she was desperate to, tongue tracing a burning path along the apex of her thigh before it met her folds. Her tongue pressed out until it met the heat of Judy’s entrance, licking upwards and straight to her clit hungrily. V groaned as she finally tasted Judy’s wetness, swirling through her core again, feeling the woman’s thighs tremble around her. The fingers of her left hand came and gently spread Judy open below her, exposing her clit; Judy was vibrating below her, breath coming in gasps and fingers clenched in V’s hair. She could hear whispered pleas between the moans leaving the techie’s lips, and V was temporarily frozen, just taking in the sight below her. Heat was building in her own core, and she ached to press her hand between her legs to relieve the pressure.

“What you waitin’ for?” Judy demanded breathily above her, and V would have smirked if it weren’t for the undercurrent of steel in her tone. She trembled as she finally wrapped her lips around Judy’s clit, humming in delight before she set to work pleasing the desperate woman below her. She alternated between flicking her tongue back and forth over the bundle of nerves and grazing it through her folds, tracing a delicious path down to her entrance and lapping at the slickness of her core. She continued this pattern until Judy was tightening below her again, thighs trembling almost violently and the grip on her hair bordering on painful. She wrapped her lips around the hardened nub of her clit and she sucked lightly, constantly until Judy’s trembling froze. Her body held taught for a few seconds before she reached her climax again, hands clutching at V desperately and tugging her face up to hers. Shaking arms wrapped around V’s shoulders, pulling her flush into Judy’s chest until her face was pressed into the techie’s neck.

V simply held the woman below her as she came down, lips pressing kisses into every inch of skin she could find. They lay, breathless, for a few minutes, simply enjoying the closeness of their naked bodies wrapped around each other. V was already replaying Judy’s orgasms in her mind, growing increasingly turned on as she pictured the look of pure bliss on her partner’s expression, the feel of her coming on her tongue. She felt Judy’s nails begin to dig into her back, previously soft strokes becoming delicious scratches waking the nerve endings along her spine. Her breathing grew ragged again and she slowly raised herself from the crook of Judy’s neck to look at the woman below her, pupils blown wide and desperate.

“Oh, V… Look at you. I’ve got you.” Judy murmured huskily, fingers grazing along the woman’s neck as she held herself above her, grip briefly tightening around V’s neck and taking note of the full-body shiver she go in response. “Gonna make you feel so fuckin’ good.”

Finding her strength flooding back at her growing desire, Judy hooked her legs around V’s hips before rolling them again, pressing the performer into the mattress below her, drinking in the sight of her flushed skin and well-kissed lips. She leaned down and claimed her lips in a bruising kiss, teeth sinking into her lower lip hungrily as her hands began to map the bare skin below her. She raked her nails up V’s trembling thighs before sitting up, continuing the path of her nails up V’s abs, resuming her earlier appreciation of the woman’s body. She remembered admiring V’s toned form in past smut BDs, fantasising about her, yet never had she imagined getting to touch her in reality. Her eyes traced the red lines she had raked across V’s taut stomach, resisting the urge to sink her teeth into the muscle until V was squirming below her. It was everything she had longed to do in the failed BD they had recorded together. When she had first felt V’s heated skin under her palms, Judy had realised she couldn’t let that be the last time she touched the performer.

Judy propped herself up over her, hand coming down to rest beside V’s head, thumb lightly pressed against her throat. She took a moment to look at the woman below her as her other hand moved to her centre, not bothering to hold back her groan as she felt the drenched insides of V’s thighs.

V was shaking with the effort of holding herself still below Judy, barely stopping herself from grinding up into her touch to chase some relief. Something told her that the Mox would be happy with her for staying still and letting her touch her at her own leisure. Finally, Judy’s searching fingers began to explore her folds, tracing along the wetness that clung to the outside, teasingly dipping inside her before withdrawing and skating along the outside again. V couldn’t take any more.

“Inside. Please.” She managed to gasp out raggedly, fingers gripping Judy’s dishevelled hair and tugging her lips down for a desperate kiss. Her breath grazed across Judy’s lips jaggedly, making the other woman shudder at the sudden intimacy, almost fully pressed against her.

Judy pressed into her, slowly trailing a finger down from V’s clit and swirling at her entrance before slowly sinking inside. Her eyes were locked on V, feeling herself growing wetter again at the way the performer threw her head back, eyes fluttering closed as a loud moan slipped past her lips. Judy pumped her finger in and out a few times, lips moving to the left side of V’s neck and sinking her teeth into a patch of skin just below her jaw. Her thumb, meanwhile, began to press into her throat, holding her in place. She almost lost it as she felt V’s core flutter around her finger in response. She pressed a second finger against her entrance then, asking for permission with a deep kiss before pressing two fingers into the woman below her at the desperate _yes yes yes_ she received in response. She immediately curled her fingers upwards, hooking into the front of V’s inner wall before slotting her hips down over her hand. She began to grind her hips down into the performer’s centre, rocking into her repeatedly as her fingers tugged and pressed into her. Judy could feel every flutter and clench of V’s core around her fingers, desperately holding her in, begging for more.

She could hear broken whispers and pleas leaving V’s lips as she began to thrust harder into her, desire flooding her at the way the woman was pleading with her so desperately, completely at her mercy. And yet, she seemed to be almost holding herself back, as if expecting Judy to stop at any second. Her entire body was tensed with the strain of holding back her orgasm, eyes fluttering and a continuous cycle of moans and sighs leaving her lips. Judy knew exactly what she needed.

“Good girl, that’s it. I’ve got you. Come for me, now.” She urged, before sinking her teeth into the hollow of her neck, her teeth holding down as she felt V’s core suddenly clench desperately around her fingers and they were flooded with wetness. V shook below her, blissful whimpers leaving her lips as she finally crashed, eyes rolling back into her head. She kept her fingers moving, prolonging V’s peak before her pace finally slowed to gentle presses. Once she stopped trembling, Judy carefully slipped her fingers out, the slick wetness between V’s thighs filling the room with a lewd sound that made both women moan. She pressed a gentle kiss over the mark she had left on V’s neck, swiping her tongue over the bruised skin and enjoying the shudder that raced through the performer in response.

She wasn’t done with V yet though; hadn’t nearly got her fill of her. As soon as V’s breathing evened she retreated and sat up, ignoring V’s protesting whimpers at the sudden distance as her hands gripped her hips, urging the performer to turn over. She did so shakily, holding herself up on her knees as Judy guided her to press her hands into the headboard. She was soon propped up on her hands and knees before the techie, skin still flushed with pleasure and a light sheen of sweat now clung to her, making her bare form shine in the low light. Judy traced her fingers down V’s spine, watching as she arched her back in response and ground her ass back into Judy’s hips where she rested behind her. Without thinking, Judy brought a stinging slap down onto V’s ass cheek to tell her to remain still. She froze as the crack rang out through the room, biting her lip worriedly since she hadn’t checked in with the performer before spanking her.

“V? Was that… Okay?” She checked immediately, hand coming to massage at the reddened skin, soothing it. Before she could feel too regretful though, she noticed the way V was arching her back, pushing her ass further in the air in invitation as her breathing quickened.

“Please… More.” The sound of V begging her was everything Judy had imagined, and more. The desperate tremble in her voice, the strain behind it, the need to come again. She could hear it all, she had caused it all.

She brought her hand down again in another spank, no harder than before but with enough force to have the woman quaking and moaning again as another burst of red bloomed across her cheek. She set a rhythm then, alternating spanks on each ass cheek working in a steady layer down towards her thighs until V was grinding back desperately and practically dripping. With each slap, Judy’s fingers grazed closer to V’s glistening folds, until she finally slipped two fingers along V’s centre and sunk them into her core. V wailed, head thrown back and mouth open, arms shaking as they tried to hold her up before her front slumped down into the pillows. The new position forced her ass higher, body arched so deliciously before Judy that the techie groaned aloud. She slowly withdrew her fingers, watching V tremble and jerk below her, before slipping them inside her again and setting a slow, deep thrust. She hooked her thumb around until it came to rest against her clit, feeling V’s core tighten as soon as she found it.

Keeping up the hard drive of her fingers and precise twist of her thumb, her other hand raked nails along the sensitive skin of V’s ass cheeks and thighs, feeling the muscles tense beneath her touch. Another keening, desperate cry was ripped from V’s lips, and Judy knew she had her right at the edge of coming again. She increased the force of her fingers as they thrust into V, curling tightly inside her as her thumb pressed relentlessly against the performer’s clit. Just as she felt her begin to tighten around her fingers she slapped her hand down, hard, letting the stinging burn of the spank push V careening straight into her orgasm. V screamed hoarsely, mumblings of Judy’s name mixed in with blissful cries as she found her release. Judy slowed her pace down to a gradual stop, making sure to coax out any last drops of pleasure before collapsing on the bed beside V, wrapping her body around her closely. She held V tightly, soft fingers caressing her tensed muscles, their bodies fitted to each other perfectly. V’s breathing eventually steadied and she relaxed into the warm embrace, pushing back against the Mox behind her and gripping the arms around her waist tightly.

“That was… amazing…” Judy whispered gently in her ear. “You’re…so fuckin’ good…” V shuddered, impressed that she was still able to feel aroused after such an intense orgasm.

“You’re amazing.” V sighed softly before rolling over to face her new lover. “Bum a cig? After sex is one of my allotted times for nicotine.” Judy laughed and reached over for the packet of cigs in her jacket.

“Sure, I think you earned it.” Judy lit up a cigarette, taking a long drag and exhaling before eyeing V again with a look of pure seduction. She shifted herself into V’s lap and took another inhale before placing the cigarette between V’s lips. As V took a drag, Judy began kissing her way down V’s body for the third time that evening.

********

* * *

Judy opened her eyes blearily, sleepy mind taking stock of her current position. She was curled around V’s resting form closely, arm tucked around the performer’s waist holding her against her front snugly and legs tangled together. For a few moments, she was in pure bliss, reliving glimpses of their long night. Based on the weak light from the window, they had only been asleep for a few hours after they had collapsed into the pillows, exhausted after hours spent exploring each other’s bodies. It had been the perfect night.

She then realised what had woken her. The insistent trill of her holo filled her mind and she felt herself stiffening when she saw Rita’s face in the corner. She was already rolling away from V’s welcoming warmth and out of bed as she answered, eyes hunting for her discarded clothes in the dark.

“Rita? What’s up?” She whispered, not wanting to wake her sleeping companion just yet.

The gaunt, teary expression on Rita’s face pulled her up short. The woman looked devastated and utterly defeated; an expression Judy didn’t recognise on her usually determined friend.

“Rita.” She said again, more insistently. Louder too, judging by the way V suddenly jerked awake and sat up in bed, eyes immediately searching out Judy in the room.

“Judy… You need to get here now. To Lizzie’s. Everyone – get everyone. I…” Rita broke off and took a shaky breath, eyes looking beyond the holo with an expression of such fear that Judy’s heart began to race and terror claw at her throat. “Susie Q’s dead. You need to come. Everyone needs to come.”

Judy was still processing, mind moving sluggishly and refusing to believe what she had just heard. She was about to press the Mox bodyguard for more information, beg her to say it wasn’t true. However before she got the chance, she saw Rita’s expression contort, the usually fearless woman seemingly terrified as she shouted at someone off-screen.

“No – please! I called, don’t hurt –” The call cut off, leaving Judy and V in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're sorry...


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